


All This And Olympus Too

by NeferNeferNefer



Series: For the Gods Have Fashioned Us for Love [2]
Category: Disney - All Media Types, Hercules (1997), Hercules: The Animated Series
Genre: Adventure, Ancient Greece, Drama & Romance, F/M, Goddesses, Gods, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2019-10-14 15:20:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 25,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17511023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeferNeferNefer/pseuds/NeferNeferNefer
Summary: How does one start living their ’happily ever after’, especially with intervening deities, hordes of obsessive fangirls and just that mundane, everyday mayhem, that some people refer to as life?Meg and Hercules are about to find out.





	1. Of Great Men and Love Proclamations

> _"And the heart is hard to translate_  
>  _It has a language of it's own_  
>  _It talks in tongues and quiet sighs_  
>  _And prayers and proclamations in the grand days_  
>  _Of great men and the smallest of gestures_  
>  _In short shallow gasps."_
> 
> ____
> 
> ____
> 
> ____
> 
> _____ _
> 
> ____
> 
> ____
> 
> ____
> 
> _All This And Heaven Too _by Florence + the Machine__
> 
> ____
> 
> ____
> 
> ____
> 
> _____ _
> 
> ____
> 
> ____
> 
> ____

__  
__  
__

Hercules sighed as he closed the door of his villa. Even though he had been away only for the beginning of the afternoon, it sure did feel like a longer time. He had never experienced the same kind of mayhem he had witnessed in this press conference (and that was quite telling in itself, considering he was a hero who had witnessed all kinds of monster attacks and battlegrounds): everybody tried their best to get his attention and the reason why? Mostly they were not interested in how the ending of the world had been averted, BUT they wanted to know all about the mysterious woman he had been seen with. Hercules was more than happy to share his newly-found love, but on the other hand he also knew, that he wasn't eloquent enough to put it into words how much his beloved meant to him, at least not in a way, that these scoop hungry writers wouldn't twist it around and make it sound like something entirely else.

_____ _

So honestly he was feeling quite beat when he finally arrived back to his villa.

_____ _

"Another day at the office, huh?" Meg leaned against a nearby column and gave him a sympathetic look. Her hair was down and as she came closer, he noticed that it was still partly wet: she had obviously taken a bath while he was away. Also, she wasn't wearing her signature lavender-colored chiton anymore, but had a pale blue fabric intricately wrapped around her as a dress. Hercules could only guess that it had originally been a bed sheet, but how she had turned it into a dress and even more so, how she could make it look so good, was a complete mystery to him.

_____ _

"You could say that again," Hercules replied, pulling her closer to him. Without a second thought, he kissed her and she hummed against his mouth as her eyes fluttered close. A spark of desire was ignited inside of him as he felt her body pressing against him and the over-powering smell of her filled his nostrils. Never before had he experienced anything like this: he had seen plenty of both beautiful mortals as well as goddesses, but never had any of them had the same effect over him as Meg had. He had to fight against the urge to carry her into the bedroom or better yet, just make love to her right there without caring who might interrupt them.

_____ _

"Hey there," Meg smiled coyly at him after they pulled away from the kiss.

_____ _

"Hi. Gods, I missed you," he sighed.

_____ _

"You do know that you were only gone for a couple of hours, right?" Meg replied playfully.

_____ _

"Seriously felt like a longer time. I swear that time must have stood still or something. You've got your hair down. It looks really pretty," he continued as he admired her, gently running his fingers in her hair.

_____ _

"Yeah, I took a bath and needed to find something else to wear. I felt that I still reeked of the Underworld," Meg shuddered at the thought.

_____ _

"I noticed. I mean I noticed you took a bath and you'll welcome to do as you please here: it's your home now too," Hercules told her fondly.

_____ _

"Hmmm. I haven't got a real home for a few years now," Meg pondered aloud and Hercules felt momentary sadness coming over him. He still had hard time grasping what she had exactly experienced while she had to work for Hades.

_____ _

"Well, you've got one now. And we have to buy some new clothes for you as well, so you don't have walk around dressed in a bed sheet," Hercules gently jabbed at her.

_____ _

"What, you don't like my fashion statements?" Meg bantered back and Hercules laughed.

_____ _

"Well, I find it incredible that you look that good wearing just a bed sheet," he truthfully told her.

_____ _

"You do know that's literally the only thing I'm wearing at the moment?" Meg smirked at him and Hercules felt himself blush. The thoughts from before came back with a renewed intensity.

_____ _

"Oh Gods," he simply gasped, feeling his own tunic getting uncomfortably tight because of that thought. Meg simply laughed at him.

_____ _

"Easy Wonderboy, we don't know when Phil is gonna come rushing in," Meg replied to him, more than a little bitter of those times that Phil had walked in while they were trying to spend some time together.

_____ _

"Actually, Phil took Pegasus and went to visit his mother. They should be gone for the rest of the afternoon," Hercules told her.

_____ _

"Wow, Phil's mother, huh? That must be quite something. Not sure if I should admire her or be afraid of her. Wait, does that mean what I think it means?" Meg asked him, looking hopeful.

_____ _

"That we got at least couple of hours for ourselves?" Hercules clarified.

_____ _

"Yes, that," Meg agreed. She bit her lower lip, looking at him under her long lashes and that was the breaking point for Hercules: he lifted her into his arms all the while kissing her. He carried her into the bedroom (with his haste, he was a little less graceful and he did bump his elbow to a corner or two, but who was there to count) and they spent an afternoon doing what lovers most often do when left alone.

_____ _

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_____ _

Phil was in the kitchen, eating a snack by himself when the kid finally showed up. Herc was pretty much always on the good mood, but now he was chipper even on his own standards, which was quite suspicious in itself.

_____ _

"Hi Phil! So how did it go with you mother?" Hercules greeted him, starting to grab something edible together as well.

_____ _

"She was being her old charming self. We actually did some flight training for combats on our way back with Pegasus. He could pull the stops more gracefully, so we should practice on that," Phil replied, eating more of his delicious grasswhich*.

_____ _

"Pegasus could also learn to FLY more gracefully," Meg, who had just entered the kitchen, still arranging something that looked suspiciously much like a bed sheet, quipped.

_____ _

"Says someone who has fear of flying," Phil retorted back.

_____ _

"Hey, I'm working on it!" Meg looked at him while still fiddling with her garment.

_____ _

"I'll help you with that," Hercules offered and he tightened the bindings from behind.

_____ _

"Thanks, Wonderboy," Meg replied, giving him a light kiss on his lips as a reward. The way Herc's eyes lingered on her told Phil more than enough of what the two of them had been up to while he was a way.

_____ _

"Oy vay, you two being so sappy it makes me sick," Phil muttered to himself as he continued to eat his dinner.

_____ _

"Yet it doesn't affect your appetite," Meg pointed out.

_____ _

"You're threading on a thin ice sister. Speaking of thin, you should get some real clothes," Phil pointed out, trying not to linger too much on the fact that Meg was basically wearing only a thin layer of cotton.

_____ _

"Herc said the same. Yet it doesn't seem to bother him as much," Meg smirked at her lover.

_____ _

"Yeah, well, you're officially Herc's girlfriend now so you cannot go prancing around half-naked. Or could you? It could bring us more publicity…" Phil pondered aloud.

_____ _

"Phil, no!" Herc seemed genuinely shocked and so was Meg, but for other reasons.

_____ _

"We never talked about that press conference. They were asking questions about me?"

_____ _

"You bet it, sister. They were more interested in you than they were in Herc's heroic deeds of late, considering he just stopped the end of the world from happening. You have to remember, Herc's been the most wanted bachelor in the Grecian world, so him suddenly having a love interest is kind of a big deal," Phil replied to her as he went to clean his dishes. Hercules looked really uncomfortable because of the chosen topics: him being the most wanted bachelor and Meg being a public point of interest.

_____ _

"I'm not sure if I feel comfortable of being a public figure," Meg grimaced at the thought.

_____ _

"Well, you can't go to public before we get you some proper clothes. But it's a package deal sister: if you want to be with Herc, you have to accept that his profession makes him a public figure, which makes even his private life a public matter," Phil lightly patted her hand as he walked by her, leaving the kitchen.

_____ _

Meg bit her lower lip as she considered what Phil had just told her.

_____ _

"I'm sorry," Hercules cut her racing mind short.

_____ _

"For what?" Meg asked, genuinely confused.

_____ _

"I- I should have told you about that press conference. And I'm sorry that I dragged you into this publicity mess…" Hercules looked so guilty that Meg felt bad herself. She was the one who had been working behind his back for his enemy and he was the one feeling guilty over such trivial matters?

_____ _

"Hey, it's okay: I'm not especially thrilled at the prospect of becoming everybody's point of interest, but Phil's right, it is a package deal. And I'd much rather have the whole package: luckily there's some parts that I don't have to share with others," Meg suggestively whispered to him before kissing him on his mouth.

_____ _

"Now, let me help you with that dinner so we might get something edible together tonight," Meg moved next to him, helping him to fix something to eat.

_____ _

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_____ _

After the dinner, they moved outside to the porch to watch the evening sky and the stars.

_____ _

Meg was sitting in Hercules' lap, a quilt pulled over their shoulders. She felt happy, content: only a few days before she thought that she would never be able to feel that way. It felt… Strange, to say the least.

_____ _

"Hmph," Meg had a speculative look on her face as she looked at the sky and then back at Hercules.

_____ _

"What is it?" Hercules had a smile on his face: by her smirk, he could tell that she was feeling playful.

_____ _

"No, I just reached a conclusion."

_____ _

"And that is?"

_____ _

"Before, I said I like this constellation of you, but now I've reached the conclusion that I do like the real deal even better," Meg whispered to his ear as if telling a great secret to him. Hercules laughed shaking his head.

_____ _

"Well, that is a relief to know," he told her, pulling her even closer to him. He loved to see this more playful and relaxed side of her. He sighed, enjoying the moment.

_____ _

Meg too wanted to simply enjoy the moment, but her racing mind kept interfering with that. She still had hard time believing that her Wonderboy would rather choose a mortal life with her on the Earth over the immortal life with his godly parents. Before she could stop herself, she blurted out: "You think you will regret it?"

_____ _

Hercules seemed stunned as he had been having lighter matters on his mind. "Regret what?"

_____ _

"Choosing mortal life? Choosing… Me," Meg's voice was quiet as she finished the sentence.

_____ _

Suddenly Hercules understood. He had been insecure his whole life: he understood Meg's feelings perfectly well. He gently placed his hand on Meg's jaw tilting her face towards him.

_____ _

"How could I ever regret it? I wished to find where I belong and now I know I belong with you. Not with the gods on mount Olympus or my birth parents, I belong with you," Hercules gently stroke her face, mesmerized by her beauty.

_____ _

"Your mother Hera, back at Olympus, she said you were willing to risk your life to save me. I never asked you but… How did you… How did you get my soul back?" Meg asked, her brows knitting together as she contemplated the thought aloud.

_____ _

"I went to the Underworld. I made a deal with Hades: my soul for yours. He thought I wouldn't be able to make it as a mortal, so he agreed. He thought he could trap us both to the River Styx," Hercules sighed.

_____ _

"You swam in the river Styx in order to get my soul back?" Meg looked at him dumbfounded.

_____ _

"Yes."

_____ _

"How did you know that would work?"

_____ _

"I didn't. I just knew that I couldn't live in a world that didn't have you in it. I just couldn't," Hercules replied.

_____ _

Meg threw her hands around him and kissed him deeply. Hercules eagerly kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her. He felt yet again that feeling arousing in him: the hunger to kiss her more, to explore her body, to love her in every way possible.

_____ _

As Meg pulled away, Hercules noticed tears in her eyes, and brushed them away gently with his hands.

_____ _

"What's wrong?" He furrowed his brow in concern.

_____ _

"Nothing is wrong, I'm just so… Happy. I was concerned that you were starting to regret the decision of choosing me and mortal life," Meg whispered. He gently tilted her head so she was looking at him.

_____ _

"When I was a kid and I learned about my biological parents, I always thought that I would feel complete, that I would be happy, when I had earned back my place at mount Olympus. There was always like this nagging voice telling me that I didn't belong. But later on I realized, that it wasn't a place, or status as a god or even my family that would bring me happiness. Being with you fills me with happiness, Meg. I feel complete when I'm with you, that I won't have to struggle to be anything else that I am," Hercules wasn't the type to give elaborate explanations, but for once, he felt like he needed at least to try to give one.

_____ _

"So, now I know that my place isn't on mount Olympus, my place is with you, wherever may that be. In river Styx, on Earth, wherever. I love you, Meg," he sighed, still struggling to put into words how much she really meant to him. Meg remained silent for a few moments, obviously considering his words.

_____ _

"I love you too," Meg replied quietly. It took a moment for her words to register into Hercules' brain. He looked down at Meg, still pressed against his chest and looking uncharacteristically timid.

_____ _

"You know, you said moment ago that you love me. So, so now you know. That I love you too," Meg's voice was quiet, but sincere. Hercules still wasn't sure what she had experienced in the past, but he could see that telling him that she loved him was a real struggle for her. And that made him appreciate it even more.

_____ _

He smiled at her warmly and pulled her in for another kiss. She sighed quietly against his mouth. How could he tell her how much he truly loved her? He would try his best to prove his love for her every day they were together: they had time.

_____ _

When they pulled back from the kiss, she placed her head again against his chest and he let his hand run through her hair, still savoring the softness of her auburn hair.

_____ _

"I'm the luckiest man there is to have you in my life, you know?" He gently whispered to her ear.

_____ _

"I thought it was the other way around," Meg replied to him with a smile, her eyes starting to droop from the weariness she was feeling.

_____ _

"Believe me: I am the lucky one," Hercules quietly whispered to her ear.

_____ _

It was getting chilly outside: he placed another kiss on the top of her head and gathered her in his arms, carrying her back inside and into the bed.

_____ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sandwich made of grass. Awesome pun, isn't it? It was really late at night when I was writing this and that one episode of Hercules the TV Series came to my mind where Phil is eating that cake made of grass and soil. So yeah, couldn't resist this little pun.
> 
> A/N: It's finally here, let's throw some confetti! Yay! And in my mind, this is direct continuation to my other fic, For the Gods Have Fashioned Us For Love. So this will be my multi-chaptered fanfic and I do plan to make our old pals Hades, Icarus and Cassandra among the others appear in this fic.


	2. Of Kings And Things from the Past

_"Sleep don't visit, so I choke on sun_  
_And the days blur into one  
_ _And the backs of my eyes hum with things I've never done_

__

_Sheets are swaying from an old clothesline_  
_Like a row of captured ghosts over old dead grass_  
_Was never much but we made the most_  
_Welcome home."_

 _Welcome Home_ by Radical Face

There was a giant running free near the suburbs of Thebes. Hercules, ever the vigilant hero, went to face the monster (which turned out not to be as terrifying as it sounded, because the giant was named Athos and he was more or less short-sighted and had lost his sense of direction).

Phil was giving Herc some feedback on his performance when the two of them were approached by a man. He introduced himself as the envoy of the king Creon of Thebes.

"Mighty Hercules, the king wishes to speak with you," the envoy bowed his head and handed out a scroll. Hercules eyed the scroll and indeed, it seemed that the king wanted to meet him. Immediately.

"Uh, well, I'll stop by before heading back home," Hercules replied, feeling uneasy of such a request. Hercules and Phil took off with Pegasus, but Hercules was still left pondering what could the king of Thebes want of him. He had a feeling that this wasn't a mere social visit.

"Jeez Phil, what could the king himself possibly want with me?" Hercules asked from his mentor as they were traveling towards the castle.

"Dunno kid, don't suppose he's the kind who would only summon you to say his thanks. After all, you did save his city-state time after time," Phil contemplated aloud. So Phil too had the gut-feeling that there was something more to this matter.

"Yeah…" Hercules muttered back, still feeling more or less uneasy.

After arriving to the closely guarded palace of Cadmea, they left Pegasus to the royal stables and headed to the throne room, where the king already waited for them. Hercules quickly glanced at the man before kneeling at him. The king was a strongly-built middle-aged man with black hair and beard highlighted with white streaks. His features looked noble, yet the worries he had faced had left its marks on his once handsome face.

"Young hero, so glad you could make it!" the king stood up, moving closer to Hercules.

"Up, up, no need to kneel before me, you're the son of Zeus, after all," the king jovially jabbed and Hercules let out an awkward laugh.

"Yeah… This is Philoctetes, my trainer," Hercules tried to introduce his mentor to the king.

"How nice," the king quickly glanced at the satyr and then turned his focus back to Hercules again. Phil looked quite pissed to be ignored by the king and Hercules gave him a quick, apologizing look.

"So, first of all, I want to thank you for saving my city-state," the king told him, placing his hand on Herc's shoulder.

"Multiple times," Phil muttered under his breath.

"No, no problem," Hercules smiled back, still feeling antsy.

"You will help with re-building the city?" the king asked of him and Hercules was taken aback.

"Sure, I'll help with anything I can. I mean, helping people is kind of my thing," Hercules replied, wondering why this was something the king wanted to speak with him personally.

"Excellent, excellent! I knew I could count on you," the king smiled, but Hercules had the feeling that he still had something else on his mind.

"While you're out there, could you keep yours ears open? There have been some rumors concerning mutiny, people wanting to rebel against me, their rightful king. I want to know who is the mastermind behind this plot," the king's face was suddenly clouded with anger and Hercules got the feeling that he was not the right man to be angered.

"This is the first time I've heard of it. But sure, I'll try to find some information, if possible," Hercules told him honestly.

"Good, that's all I ask of you. You may go now," the king waved his hand, seemingly losing his interest in his guests. Hercules bowed his head quickly and headed out with Phil. He could not shake the feeling that he had been just commissioned to spy for the king. Even more so, there was something familiar in the king's features, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After making their way back to his villa, Hercules met Meg in the atrium. She had washed her lavender chiton and was wearing it once again. Hercules momentarily pondered on the fact that they should buy her more dresses to wear, but not that day: he was feeling beat. After his more or less strange day, he was more than ready to spend a relaxing evening with her.

"You sure took your sweet time out there. Your parents, MORTAL parents, sent us a scroll. They're asking us for a dinner tonight, they're heading back to Arcadia tomorrow," Meg handed him the scroll and gave his cheek a peck.

"Shoot! I forgot about that," Hercules felt bad for forgetting his promise to his adoptive parents: he had promised that he would come and eat a dinner with them and that he would bring Meg with him.

"I figured that out. You're not feeling like it?" Meg arched her perfectly manicured brow as she studied him.

"No, we should do it, I just… Had quite a day," Hercules confessed to her.

"What happened?" Meg placed a comforting hand on his bicep.

"After the fight with the giant, I was summoned to Cadmea. I mean, the royal palace," Hercules started to explain.

"You met king Creon?" Meg looked as confused as Hercules felt.

"Yeah, he kind of asked me to spy for him? There's obviously rumors circling around that people are plotting to rise against him," Hercules elaborated and Phil, who had just entered the room, snorted.

"He wants you do that for him? Why you?" Meg asked incredulously.

"Hmph, wonder why? He's just used to ordering people around as he pleases. The guy may be the king, but he was a total douche nevertheless," Phil propped himself down to the divan, starting to read that day's copy of _Greekly World News_.

"Why doesn't that surprise me? If his people really are rising against him, he had it coming: he has done lousy job as a king," Meg's lips were tightly pressed together as she obviously pondered on something, almost mournful look on her face.

"You okay?" Hercules felt a bit confused to see the subject affecting Meg so strongly.

"Yeah, sure I am. Shouldn't we go? We shouldn't keep your parents waiting," Meg dodged his question and gave him a reassuring smile. Luckily for her, Hercules dropped the subject.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By Herc's recommendation, they chose to dine in a lovely tavern at the downtown of Thebes. The food was fresh and excellently cooked and Meg had to admit that Wonderboy had the talent for finding the perfect places to eat, although there were so many places to choose from.

Meg also enjoyed the company, even though she had been quite nervous to meet Herc's mortal parents. It turned out that she had nothing to worry about: as she had anticipated from their first (although brief) meeting, they were down to earth and friendly. They told so many stories from Herc's childhood and the time he was growing up which had Meg laughing with tears in her eyes and poor Herc blushing like crazy.

After they had eaten, they parted ways with the elderly couple. Their work at the farm couldn't wait any longer, so they had to head back to Arcadia the next day. They also invited both Hercules and Meg to visit them. Especially Alcmene seemed to like Meg: she hugged her for a long while and made her promise that she would come to visit them with Hercules.

After Herc's parents had headed back to their inn, the younger couple decided to take a walk in the nearby garden, which happened to be the same garden they had visited on their first date. Apollo had stopped his work for the day, so the sun had already set and the evening was closing in. The lovely fragrance of the flowers hung heavily in the air: the garden was every bit as lovely as Meg had remembered. So much had happened since the last time she had been there.

Hercules, however, seemed more or less absent: Meg took a side-way glance to her hero, walking beside her. She could tell that something was bothering him by the look of his face. Meg decided to try her luck.

"Sooo, what's ya thinking Wonderboy? Is something that happened back in your hometown bothering you?" Meg asked cautiously. She had gathered from their previous conversations that his teenage-age years hadn't been exactly the best of times for him, even if he had never really elaborated the tales with details.

He looked surprised to hear her question and he looked back at her. "You want to hear more about my life?"

Meg scoffed. "Is it really that surprising for a girl to want to know more about her man?"

Hercules blushed. He smiled despite himself: he felt warmth spreading in his chest as he contemplated her words and the fact that she had just called him her man. Yes, he could live with that. And to be honest, he did quite like the sound of it.

"Oh! Oh, yeah. Well, that was not exactly the best of the times for me," Hercules then told her, continuing to walk as he obviously contemplated what to tell her next. Meg followed his suit, placing her hand to his bigger one. Hercules gently squeezed her hand, comforted by her presence. He stopped and turned to take a better look at her. He ran his fingers on her cheek and pulled her in for a long, tender kiss. Meg pressed herself against him, sighing as she enjoyed his closeness. After the kiss, Hercules was left gazing at her, admiring at her beauty. Meg, however, had not forgotten their original topic.

"So you were saying, about your time in Arcadia…?" Meg softly pushed on and Hercules seemed to come out of his reverie.

For a moment Hercules' stopped in his tracks and then he sighed. Meg saw the forlorn look in his eyes and she suddenly felt regret that she should ask him such a question.

"Look, I don't mean to pry, if you don't want to talk about it…" Meg begun, put Hercules placed a finger gently on her lips to silence her.

"Meg, if I want to talk to somebody about this stuff, I want to talk to you about it. I just haven't ever really talked about those years before: Alcemene and Amphitryon were great parents, but the other villagers… They thought I was a freak of nature," Hercules sat down on the nearby bench and his shoulders slumped down. Meg felt bad for him: the people could be so cruel, she herself knew that.

"Because of that, I didn't have any friends. People called out to me as a menace or Destructo-boy. That's how I decided to seek guidance from my father Zeus, who pointed me Phil's direction. I just felt like…" Hercules was seeking for the right words, but Meg understood.

"Like you didn't belong there?" She finished quietly.

"Yes," He replied, his reply barely a whisper.

"I know how that feels." Meg really did understand it: her own home had been nothing but a golden cage, where she never had felt at home. And the places she had ended up after that… Well, they were even worse. Until she had met him: he was like a beacon of hope, proving that not everybody were self-centered and petty. So yes, she understood his pain in her own way. In a certain sense, it was somewhat comforting to know that even her perfect Wonderboy had his own ghosts. That he wasn't really just as perfect as he seemed to be, which made him more _human_.

"So that's why it seems kinda hard to go back there?" Meg finished out for him.

"Yeah, I guess it is. I feel bad for mom and pop, I shouldn't feel bad when I visit them," Hercules stopped to look a the fountain, deep in his thoughts.

"But it's not about them, it's about the other people, isn't it? And if you do want to go back there someday, I'll go with you. Facing your past can be daunting, but it won't be as bad if you don't have to do it alone. At least I think so," Meg thought aloud and then internally grimaced. _'Really? That's what you're gonna say to him? And when are you gonna follow your own advice?'_ she mentally chided herself.

Hercules, on the other hand, seemed encouraged by her words.

"Thanks Meg, that means a lot to me. I'm sure facing all that stuff will be a lot easier with you on my side," He smiled at her warmly, wrapping his arm around her.

Hercules pulled her to his arms, thankful for her presence. He breathed in the fragrance of her hair: just having her there was enough. To know that she understood, that she accepted him the way he was.

"I used to think before that because I was born as an immortal, I couldn't fit in among the mortal men. But then when Father asked me to join the Pantheon again, I understood that I had found that sense of belonging already. I found it with you, Meg," He told her, cradling her softly in his arms. Meg pulled away to look at him: she did understand. There were parts of them that were hurting or broken, but together, that pain went away and it was replaced by something far more beautiful, more precious: love. More so, they understood each other and saw the best of each other.

"That's why I didn't choose Olympus. For a moment, I had to face a world without you in it and it was a dark place. I had lost you once already: I didn't want to lose you again. No matter what mount Olympus could offer to me, it couldn't compete with this," Hercules quietly finished, running his fingers on Meg's cheek.

"And I'm thankful for it, I have never felt at home. Not anywhere really. But with you, I feel at ease when I'm in your arms. I feel like home," Meg told him softly. He tilted her head so she was looking directly at him and then pulled her in for a kiss. They were lost in each other and for once, Meg wasn't afraid of losing herself into him. She was sure, that he would be there to catch her. She would be there too when he needed her.

After all, they had already chosen each other, and shown each other parts of them that they couldn't share with anyone else. This was home.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the night-time arrived, Meg found herself wide awake even though it was way past midnight. The night before she had fallen asleep easily because of her exhaustion. Now she wasn't as lucky. Hercules was deep asleep, but his arms were still wrapped around her. Meg was thankful for it: his touch brought so much comfort to her. It was hard to get lost in her negative thoughts when he was there, even if he was fast asleep.

Meg was afraid. She was afraid what Hercules would say, how he would react, after finding out about her family. She was afraid that one day Hercules would regret his decision to stay with her as a mortal. She was afraid that one day, he would want to leave her. She was afraid that one day he wouldn't see her the same way as he saw her at the moment. Hercules saw her as a brave, smart and good-hearted girl, but she herself could not see it, no matter how hard she would try.

Also, there was a nagging voice inside her head that Hades wasn't gone, not really.

And who was she to advise Hercules on meeting his past and facing his fears when she obviously was unable to do so herself? She sighed as the thoughts inside her head circled around like a flock of vultures, not giving her a moment of peace.

"Meg?" Groggy voice of Hercules called her. Her constant tossing and turning had seemed to woken him up as well.

"I'm sorry, I just can't seem to sleep tonight," Meg apologized, feeling bad for him.

"Oh. Come here honey," sleepy Hercules pulled her to him and nuzzled her hair. 'Honey? He hasn't called me that before,' Meg thought to herself and smiled. If anyone else would have called her that, she would have thought it was incredible cheesy and tacky. But from Wonderboy… It was simply endearing. Honey.

Meg closed her eyes and pressed herself against his chest. She had never felt as safe as she felt in his arms. She felt loved, protected. As if nothing really bad could happen when she was with him.

"I love you Wonderboy," the words escaped from her lips like it was the most natural thing ever. Before she could even think about it more, she heard his chuckle and his sleepy answer: "I love you too, Meg," which brought a smile to Meg's lips. Before she even knew, Morpheus had finally granted her sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter is in! I found out that the ancient citadel in Thebes was called Cadmea, so I decided to use it for my own benefits in this story.  
> I also spotted out that Athos was really a name of a giant in Greek mythology: I found it pretty hilarious considering 'The Three Musketeers' and all that stuff, so I decided to use it as well. Thanks for reading and special shout out for those lovely people, who left kudos, bookmarked this story or reviewed! You're the best.


	3. Chapter 3: Of Insecurities, Intervening Gods & Romantic Rendezvous

> "Lovers in the long grass  
>  Look above them  
>  Only they can see  
>  Where the clouds are going  
>  Only to discover  
>  Dust and sunlight  
>  Ever make the sky so blue
> 
> Afternoon is hazy  
>  River flowing  
>  All around the sounds  
>  Moving closer to them  
>  Telling them the story  
>  Told by Flora  
>  Dreams they never knew."

_Flora's Secret_ by Enya

The next morning Meg was quite sure that Hercules had forgotten what had happened last night, but she was quickly proven wrong.

"Good morning," Hercules whispered to her ear as he placed a tender kiss on her cheek. She smiled: this was the right way to wake up.

"Good morning to yourself," Meg turned to her other side to face him and she was pulled for a slow, lingering kiss. Oh yes, _this was_ the right way to wake up.

After the kiss, Hercules ran his finger gently in her hair.

"So what was the last night about?" He asked tenderly.

Meg sighed. Of course Wonderboy wouldn't let this go.

"It was nothing…" She begun, but after she saw his face, she knew he really wouldn't let this one go.

"Well, to be honest, I was just… Thinking," Meg replied quietly.

"Thinking about what?" Hercules gently pressed on while his fingers were tracing soothing circles on her shoulder.

"Well… I was thinking about us," Meg begin and Hercules frowned at this as he felt his insecurity raising its ugly head once again.

"I just… So many things have happened lately. I'm just afraid that someday, you will regret that choosing me and staying as a mortal. I'm afraid that one day you'll wake up and you won't see me the way you see me now. I'm afraid that you will end up bitter because you chose me. I'm afraid that Hades isn't really gone," All those things she had tried to keep inside suddenly escaped from her and she felt herself almost trembling because of its impact.

Suddenly it clicked in Hercules' head: she was afraid that she wasn't enough. He knew those feelings of uncertainty and self-doubt better than most of the people, because he had been battling those for the most of his life. And the vengeful Lord of the Death did certainly not make the things any easier for her. He pulled Meg even closer to himself and nuzzled her hair.

"As long as I remember I've felt like I wasn't enough, like I didn't fit among the rest of the people. I understand how you feel, I do. But I could never regret choosing you. Because I only feel complete when I'm with you. You and this, us being together, is my dream: not Mount Olympus or anything else could compete with this. No matter what comes our way, may it be Hades himself or anything else, we'll work it out. Together," Hercules promised, holding her near.

Meg felt tears filling her eyes: she still had hard time believing that someone would really value her above anything else, that being with her was worth all the sacrifices. Hercules now understood this: he would prove it to her again and again until she would believe it.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The day was rather uneventful (at least on their _'saving the Cosmos and stopping the apocalypse'_ -scale), Hercules had went training with Phil and then attended some event at his flag-store in the city centre of Thebes. Meg had went to the market, picking up some groceries. Then she went back to the villa, first reading some scrolls and then preparing a light meal for herself and Herc when he got back home. (She really needed to find other ways to spend her days, she was starting to feel like a spoiled stay at home wife.)

So when the evening came, Hercules and Meg were having a nice, serene evening at home.

That was, until Athena popped by. Meg was half-way walking from atrium to kitchen, her eyes glued to a scroll of that day's Greekly World News at her hands when she suddenly heard someone clearing her throat. She raised her eyes and found herself almost face to face with the Goddess of Wisdom. She gasped audibly and Hercules stamped to the room after hearing her muffled cry.

"Hercules, Megara, hope I'm not interrupting," Athena acknowledged both of them.

"Erm, no…?" Hercules was puzzled to find her standing in his house. When he was younger, Athena had asked for his help multiple times, but that was years ago. He didn't even live in Athens any more and she was the patron Goddess of Athens. She was in Thebes, city-state which had strained relations to Athens, to say the least. What could she possibly want?

"I guess this is not a social visit, huh?" Meg asked, already sensing that the Goddess had a reason to be there.

"Just wanted to let you know, that Hades has gotten out of the Vortex of souls," Athena then told them, her face completely void of feelings. Meg felt a knot forming in her stomach and Hercules put a reassuring hand around her.

"Do not worry, though: we have some of our own people keeping their eyes on Hades," Athena then tried to comfort them. Meg wondered who of the Gods would have the unfortunate fate of being the babysitter of Hades?

"Alright, that's… Good," Hercules was still unsure why Athena wanted to tell them this personally.

"Yes, yes it is. After Hades' betrayal, all of Olympus is in state of… Unrest. We may need your help to restore the peace, Hercules," Athena then continued, looking directly at the hero.

"Okay, care to elaborate?" Meg arched her brow, feeling anxious. What did she mean exactly by that? She did not look forward into meddling with the affairs of the Gods.

"At the moment, I can't. But when I can tell you more, I will. That's all for now. Farewell," Athena stated, her gazed already distant as she suddenly disappeared.

Then Meg and Hercules were left alone once again. Somehow they knew that it wouldn't be long before Athena (or some other God) would appear at their home yet again, asking for help. And surely that would be at the most inconvenient of the times.

Meg especially felt uneasy of what all this could possibly mean. The sleep would not come easy that night either.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following day had turned out be sunny and beautiful: Hercules had woken up at dawn to finish his workout early.

He had noticed how badly Meg had been shaken by the news of Hades' return. He wanted to do something special for her, to give her something more positive to think about. So he had told her that he would finish his training early that day and he would spent the rest of the day with her, doing something nice. Meg had gladly agreed, happy to have him as company and not dwell the whole day with her own, depressing thoughts.

When Phil had arrived to the stadium, his pupil had been already half-through his work-out routine.

"What's the rush, kid?" Phil grumbled as he made his way to his student.

"Oh, hi Phil! Well, I was kinda thinking…" Hercules stammered as he was lifting the barbells.

"Spit it out, kid," Phil had taken a notice of Meg sneaking to the arena, so he had a faint idea were this was going.

"I was kinda wishing I could spend the rest of the day with Meg," Hercules blurted out, already anticipating Phil lashing out.

Phil sighed. _'Knew it.'_

"After you finish your work out, you're free to go, kid," Phil then replied.

Hercules put down the barbells, awestruck.

"Really? I can go with Meg?" Hercules then made sure.

"SISTER! Get a move on, I wanna talk to you!" Phil shouted to Meg, who was waiting farther away.

Meg made her way to the two of them, looking more then a little suspicious. Phil couldn't blame her; he hadn't been exactly friendly to her at all times.

"Herc told me that he wanted to get the rest of the day off to spent it with you," Phil huffed out.

"Look goatman-," Meg begun, but Phil stopped her on her tracks.

"I told him that's fine by me," he looked first at Meg and then at his student.

"Really?" Meg had a puzzled look on her face and then glanced at Hercules, who seemed just as surprised as she was.

"Yes, really. First off, if the kid decided to stay here on Earth because of you, wouldn't it be reasonable for him to be able actually spent time with you? Secondly, I obviously judged you wrongly and I'm sorry for it," Phil explained to her, to the both of them.

"Oh. Thanks Phil, that means a lot to me. I think we started on a wrong foot (or in your case, on a wrong hoof), so maybe we should leave that to the past?" Meg had lowered her guards and was now looking at him earnestly.

"Deal. Just don't do anything stupid, okay?" Phil told them gruffly, busying himself with organizing the equipment.

"We won't, thanks Phil!" Hercules told him happily, taking Meg's hand to his own. He started to explain something vividly to her and she laughed at whatever he had told her. There was that shine in his eyes that only people who were madly in love had. More so, that same shine was reflected back in Meg's eyes.

He had never seen the kid happier. And he had never seen Meg laugh like that, like… She was truly happy. He hadn't seen either of the two as happy as they were together. So who was he to stand against their happiness?

Besides, the kid had already fulfilled his own dream and he had fulfilled Phil's dream as well, just as he had promised.

Phil had the feeling that he hadn't much more work left to be done with the kid, that soon he could get back to Idra, his home on the island, and truly continue his retirement.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hercules had had a perfect spot on his mind where he wanted to go with Meg.

They had found a secluded place in the shade of the trees on the outskirts of the city. It was peaceful and serene, completely different to the hustle and bustle in the city. But the best part of it all? There were only the two of them.

The two of them were laying on the grass, looking at the sky and occasionally talking about whatever came to their mind. It was a lazy afternoon, but to Hercules, it was perfect.

He glanced at the woman laying next to him. _'She is perfect,'_ he silently corrected in his mind. There were moments like these when he was taken aback by her beauty: he felt actually surprised that she was there, next to him. That he had managed to save her and after all that had happened, she still wanted to be with him. That she still loved him. For that, he felt truly blessed: to find someone he loved and who loved him back just as much. When he was younger, he thought he would never find anything like that, especially not anyone like her. So having her there with him was more than he could ever even ask for. This was so much more than mount Olympus could ever offer.

Meg seemed to notice his stare and playfully asked: "You like what you see?"

Hercules surprised her by rolling over and placing himself on top of her, adjusting his weight on his hands framing her body.

"Yes, I actually do. It's the most beautiful sight there is to see," he told her gently, coming closer.

Meg bit her lower lip, looking at him under her long lashes.

"Oh? Is that so?" She smiled at him seductively and instead of replying, his lips came crashing at hers and they found themselves rolling around in the long grass.

Luckily, it was a long day and Apollo granted them few extra moments to spent alone in the quiet solitude of the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My oh my, what is Hades up to (because Hades is always up to something)? And what's going on with the Gods of Olympus? I know I've put much emphasize on insecurities of both Meg and Herc, but I think they have been through some things, that need some time to heal. There is some disgustingly sweet romantic moments here as well, so you're welcome. *wink wink*   
> Once again, thank you so much for anybody commenting, leaving kudos or bookmarking my story to show your support in any way. You guys rock. Until next time, take care.


	4. Of Making All Kinds of Plans

> "Time it took us  
>  To where the water was  
>  That's what the water gave me  
>  And time goes quicker  
>  Between the two of us  
>  Oh, my love, don't forsake me  
>  Take what the water gave me."
> 
> _What the Water Gave Me_ by Florence + The Machine

To be honest, Apollo had always preferred Delphi over Thebes. After all, he had his own temple AND an oracle dedicated to himself only in Delphi! That, if anything, would make a guy (or a God) feel special.

Sure, officially he was considered as the patron God of both Delphi AND Thebes, but he shared the patronage over Thebes with his half-brother, Dionysus.

Dionysus, the god of wine and merrymaking, was not the one to be relied on as the leading god of a city-state: that much was obvious considering how much damage both the city-state and the royal family of Cadmus had suffered during the past few centuries. Not to mention all the destruction Hades had brought upon the city-state as he had tried to bring down Hercules, the young hero and the son of Zeus himself.

Nevertheless, Apollo had been more than happy to let Dionysus rule over Thebes as he looked after his beloved Delphi. Everybody knew that the royal house of Thebes had been cursed: not many gods seemed to be bothered over this situation that much. City-states would come and go as the mortals fought against each other and fell to either sword or old age: that was how the things were supposed to go and everybody on Olympus knew that. There had been even rumors going around that the city-state would be eventually obliterated and Dionysus, as a god who lived for the present moment only and did not concern himself over the matters of what might be, did not seem to be too much concerned because of this. Neither was Apollo, concerned that is.

Now the situation had been changed however. Hercules, the beloved son of the lord and the lady of Olympus, had chosen to live his life as a mortal (a choice Apollo himself had still hard time in understanding) with a woman he loved. And out of all the cities in Greece, they were living in Thebes! And this woman Hercules was in love with just so happened to be a direct continuation to the lineage of Cadmus, the founder of Thebes.

So yes, Apollo had the funny feeling that if Thebes would just so be wiped out of the map and the son of Zeus happened to get in the line of fire (so to speak), he would be the one becoming responsible in that unfortunate situation. (Every God of Pantheon knew that holding Dionysus as responsible over such matter was complete waste of time, it was as useful as the work Sisyphus had to do to pass his time in Underworld.)

So from now on, Apollo would keep his eye (both eyes, if possible) more eagerly glued to the matters concerning Thebes. Heck, Apollo was already in Zeus' list of unpopular Gods because he had been oblivious to what Hades had been doing in Thebes for almost two decades. He had enough matters on his plate as the things were. He did not need to anger the king of Gods any further to make matters worse. Apollo had to step up his game and keep a better eye on matters of Thebes, if he wanted to become mr. Popularity on mount Olympus once again.

He could only hope that all those rumors concerning the destruction of Thebes would stay as they were: as rumors. Luckily Hades was staying grounded in his own kingdom at the moment, so how hard could protecting one city-state be?  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Hercules had been summoned by king Creon to his palace once again. Unluckily for Hercules, he had nothing new to tell for the king, which displeased the ruler immensely. If there really was someone plotting against the king, he had heard nothing of it. After all, he was a hero, not a spy, so that really wasn't part of his job description in the first place. Unfortunately, the king himself didn't seem to agree with him on this.

The king was left pacing around his throne-room in a frantic manner and muttering to himself. Hercules caught a word from here and there, he was muttering something about everybody plotting against him and the Gods themselves turning their back at him.

"Your Highness, I'm sure that the common people at least are not plotting against you. Maybe were not looking at the right place?" Hercules tried to reason with the frantic ruler.

"Lies, all lies. Off with their heads, all of them!" The king shouted, still pacing around the room. Hercules shared an uneasy look with Phil.

"Your Majesty, I'm sure we'll find a better solution…" Hercules tried to offer, but was quickly stopped by the king.

"If you're not with me, you're against me!" The king looked furious and for a moment, Hercules wondered if the king was going to start the executions with him.

"Now now, calm down dear, you're exhausted and you need to lay down. You look all pale!" An elderly woman suddenly entered the throne room and put her hand around the king. Now that the woman had mentioned the king's appearance, Hercules too took a notice of his unusually pale complexion.

The king looked displeased, as if he was going to disagree with the woman, but then he just sighed.

"Fine, you win, mother. I'll go and rest, but we're going to talk about this matter later on," the king grumbled as he headed obviously towards his private quarters.

"Thank you for your help, Your Highness," Hercules slightly bowed down his head before the older woman.

"Oh, I don't think we had the pleasure of meeting each other. I'm the queen-mother Harmonia, mother of king Creon," the queen-mother's eyes were sparkling with mischief.

"I don't think so either. I am Hercules, son of Zeus, and this is my trainer Philoctetes," Hercules introduced the two of them.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness," Phil was uncharacteristically eloquent before the queen-mother. Hercules wasn't surprised: she obviously was a woman who demanded people's attention no matter where she went. She was an elegant and up-right woman, no matter her age.

"The pleasure is mine, I'm sure," she replied with a slight smile.

"I must apologize for my son's behavior. He might be the king, but it seems like his mental state has been… Deteriorating lately," She sighed, deep sorrow etched to her aged yet beautiful features.

"I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?" Hercules gave the woman a compassionate look.

"Lots of things. Let's just say that he lost way too many things in such a short span of time. He himself is sure that the Gods themselves have cursed his whole bloodline," the queen-mother shook her head.

"I certainly hope not. If there's any way I can assist, do not hesitate to ask, Your Highness," Hercules gave her a reassuring smile and she smiled back at him.

"Such a fine man you are. Thank you, I'll keep your offer in my mind," She replied with a smile.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to see how my son is faring," the queen-mother took her leave and headed after her son.

Hercules and Phil took off as well, heading to the royal stables to find Pegasus and went back to Herc's villa.

In there, they found Meg who was surrounded by numerous pieces of Herc's battle garment. Both Herc and Phil were taken aback by the sight.

"What on Earth are you doing?" Hercules asked, his mouth agape with surprise.

"What does it look like I'm doing? Planning to become a gladiator? I'm sorting this stuff out, your storage room is a mess," Meg huffed as she continued with her work.

"Oh. We should really find you something more useful to do, you're not my maid," Hercules told her, as he moved away few heavier pieces of equipment.

"Be careful with those, they're worth of many drakhmas!" Phil warned her and she simply made a face back at him. Hercules sighed and shook his head at their antics.

"So, how did your meeting with the king go?" Meg still kept herself busy with the equipment, her voice completely even.

"Not so good," Hercules sighed.

"His losing his mind, the king is," Phil replied, polishing a trophy he found just lying on the floor.

"What?" Meg stopped her work, her brows knitted together in a concerned manner.

"Well, he was talking about beheading anybody standing against him. Luckily for us, the queen-mother Harmonia stepped in and talked him to taking some time to rest. So afterwards she told us that her son has witnessed so many personal losses that his mental state is not very good at the moment," Hercules explained.

"Oh," Meg simply sighed out, sitting down on the floor. She had a blank expression on her face.

"And you met the queen-mother?"

"Yes, she seems like a wonderful woman," Hercules sat down next to her.

"Sharp as a razor-blade. Like her much better than her son," Phil agreed.

"Oh. That's… Good," Meg simply answered back, her eyes still glossy and distant.

"Meg, are you okay?" Hercules gave her a concerned look. She wasn't really acting like herself at the moment. Why was this affecting her this much?

"Yeah, I'm sure. What would you say if we went to visit your parents, your MORTAL parents in Arcadia?" Meg brushed the first topic off and changed the subject.

"You want to go to Arcadia?" Hercules was taken aback by her sudden change of topic.

"Yeah, well your folks sent us a scroll, thanking us for the last time when they were visiting Thebes. They also invited us to visit them as well for a change. If you're not on the king's list of most popular people of Thebes at the moment, maybe laying low for a while would be a good idea?" Meg proposed.

"Yeah, I see your point. I guess we could do that," Hercules agreed, still a little perplexed. He had the most peculiar sensation that Meg was not telling him everything

"Great, I'll write a scroll to answer them immediately, I'll ask Hermes to deliver it ASAP," Meg replied, already heading to another room to find a scroll and a quill.

"Sign me out, I don't feel like visiting the countryside. Too many sheep for my taste," Phil told her as he too went his own way.

"Well, you weren't even invited, goatman!" Meg snappily told him and Hercules heard Phil muttering something more or less profane back at her.

Hercules sighed as he was left sitting there alone, still wondering what had just happened. He hadn't been back in Arcadia since he was a teenager and now, suddenly he was going back there. He already felt the trepidation.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Hades was royally pissed. The plan he had threaded out so carefully for countless years and now, it was all but gone. And why? Because of his _Nutmeg_ had for some unknown reason fallen madly in love with that irksome son of Zeus.

Maybe using her to learn more about _Jerkules_ wasn't such a brilliant idea as he had thought it was.

Hades had thought that maybe, just MAYBE he could trap both Meg AND Jerkules as a consolation prize in the river Styx, but NOPE. That plan had also crashed and instead of the two lovebirds, he himself was trapped to the river, where he had spend good amount of not-so-much quality time.

AND when he had thought that now that Jerkules was a god and all that jazz, he would at least have a chance to have is revenge on poor little mortal Nutmeg. But NO, that plan was out of question as well: he quickly learned from his two minions (who had obviously been just lazying around and occasionally reading _Greekly World News_ ) that Jerkules had in fact declined from his position as a god and decided to stay with his sweetheart on Earth. REALLY?! After all that dolt had gone through to stop his plans from working, he didn't even want his position as a god, just because of that foolish mortal girl?

And when he finally got out of the river where that dolt had plummeted him in, he found out that his brother Zeussie had kindly grounded him inside his own domain. And out of all gods and demi-goddesses out there, they had put Nemesis as his guardian. Numerous times a day, Nemesis would drop in to check on him, complaining how he wasted her valuable time (Hades had pointed out that he did not enjoy her visits any more than she did, that just maybe she could go her merry way to any other direction, but this only irritated her more and she declared that she would smite him, if he continued to annoy her). So yes, Hades was in fact more than annoyed: he was royally pissed.

This had been going on for days, when he finally had a visitor (well, any other visitor than Nemesis). A voluptuous woman dressed in earthy brown cloak, her long red hair trailing behind her. Her face was timeless and her age could only be guessed: Hades knew that she was in fact, older than the time itself.

"Cybele, babe! Good to see you! Not here only for a social visit, huh?" Hades went to greet her, but she only gave him a suspicious look.

"Hades, you weren't my first choice, but I have the reasons to believe that you are holding a grudge against the Olympian gods just as I am," Cybele ignored his out-stretched hand, walking past him. Hades felt his temper flaring, yet he fought against his urges. Then her words started to raise his interest. Grudges, against his brother and the other high and mighty Gods? Now this was interesting.

"Oh boy, do I have my reasons? Do you want the list or the brief version?" Hades huffed out a humorless laugh.

"I prefer no version, actually. I thought you and I might be able to… Help each other," Cybele studied him, a cold smile on her face.

"Help each other, huh? I suppose you want something more than just grief counseling. What exactly do you have in mind?" Hades' mind was already racing.

"Oh, _so much more._ As you might know, I used to be worshiped all across Greece and Asia Minor. That was, before the Olympian Gods displaced me. I still had my worshipers in Asia Minor, but after the Trojan war, the numbers of my followers dropped dramatically. First, my place was usurped and then the Greeks came and annihilated my people! I cannot tolerate this!" the ancient Goddess ranted and raved. Hades felt a smug smile tugging the corners of his mouth: Zeus had said that he couldn't leave the Underworld and rise against them, but what if he would use her to do it? She would be the perfect scapegoat and he could be collecting the pieces afterwards.

"You got a point there sister, you have been pretty much ridiculed before the whole Cosmos!" Hades only fueled her anger.

"Those ignorant Greeks thinking they can do anything," Cybele huffed as she kept pacing around.

"What if I told you that I can give you back your Trojan army, Hector and all the other bad boys of Troy?" Hades had a devious plan already forming in his mind.

"But my Trojan army was slain!" Cybele looked perplexed.

"Exactly. Slain heroes is kind of my specialty," Hades had a predatory smile on his face.

"Hmph. Tell me more, Hades," Cybele was starting to like the sound of this plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Hades is officially back in picture and has a new ally! How do we feel about that? The last chapter was so sweet, so now it's time to move the story itself forward. I try my best to incorporate elements of Greek mythology in this story, but in the style of Disney's Hercules, I'll interpret them in my own way. Once again, thank you so much for the kudos, comments and follows: above all, I appreciate you taking time to read my story.


	5. Of Following Your Heartlines

> "This fantasy, this fallacy, this tumbling stone  
>  Echoes of a city that's long overgrown  
>  Your heart is the only place that I call home  
>  Can I be returned, you can  
>  You can, we can
> 
> Just keep following  
>  The heartlines on your hand  
>  Keep it up, I know you can  
>  Just keep following  
>  The heartlines on your hand
> 
> What a thing to do  
>  Oh-woah-oh what a thing to choose  
>  But know, in some way I'm there with you  
>  Up against the wall on a Wednesday afternoon."
> 
> \- _Heartlines_ by Florence + The Machine 

That day, Hercules and Meg had made plans to make their way to Arcadia, to visit Herc's mortal parents there. The evening before, they had finally visited the market to buy new chitons for Meg (who had been having her share of fun at teasing poor Herc who had to to voice his opinions concerning which new outfits she should get). They finally had their things packed and Pegasus was already waiting for them when suddenly… A divine intervention happened.

"Athena, what a… Surprise," Hercules lamely commented when he saw the Goddess of the wisdom in his vestibule. He knew that she would reappear eventually, but he really did not look forward at being pulled into disputes between his godly relatives.

"Indeed. Hercules, I have a favor to ask of you," Athena cut straight to the chase. Hercules shared a look with Meg. This did not sound good.

"Yeah, what does it concern?" Hercules was already fearing that what ever she would ask, it wouldn't be pleasant.

"Your father, Zeus. After the incident with Hades, Zeus has been planning some kind of… An organization renewal," Athena explained.

"An organization renewal? On mount Olympus?" Meg asked with, looking sceptical.

"What does that even mean?" Hercules then asked.

"We are… Not entirely sure. It seems that he doesn't trust that we, Gods, aren't doing our work as well as we should. It seems he doesn't trust our judgement and from now on, we are required to report either to Hermes or Zeus himself if we are planning to do something which has not been recently discussed at the council of the Gods," Athena then elaborated.

"And that is bad because…?" Hercules was struggling to follow her train of thought.

"Because we are Gods! We should be omnipotent and not to be reduced into reporting every minor deviation to the plans for someone!" Athena exclaimed, uncharacteristically tense.

"Well, you did fail to notice that one of your fellow Gods was planning to take over the Cosmos for _several decades_ ," Meg drily pointed out. Meg was not completely sure if it really would be such a bad thing that sphere of action allowed to the Gods would be more limited: it was obvious that some of them (if not all of them) had the habit of rushing into things and doing unreasonable things at the expense of the mortals.

"Please, don't start that: Zeus has been raving about that far enough. Besides, Hades is been supervised," Athena dismissed the topic and Meg shrugged: all this talk about cosmic changes was making her head ache.

"And what is my role in all this? What would you prefer me to do?" Hercules asked with a sigh. He knew that Athena was telling this for a reason.

"Please, reason with your father. If he listens to anyone, it would be his own son!" Athena pleaded.

"You know father's opinion is not easily changed," Hercules pointed out, already fearing that all his efforts would go to waste.

"Just try, that's all I ask," Athena reasoned and Hercules sighed again.

"Fine, I'll do my best," Hercules shook his head, already dreading this new challenge.

"Thank you Hercules, and Megara. Have a lovely day," Athena slightly nodded her head and disappeared as quickly as she had appeared.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Meg pointed out the obvious.

"Yeah, me too," Hercules confessed, wrapping his arm around her.

"You think you can talk him over?" Meg glanced at him as she pushed herself closer to him.

"My father? I doubt it, his the most stubborn person, besides you, I've met. But I'll try, I made a promise after all," Hercules confided at her.

"Yeah, that plan seems a bit… Far-fetched," Meg gave him an apologetic smile and Hercules sighed, once again.

"Well, these grand cosmic matters must wait, I'll talk to father on our way back from Arcadia. Who knows, maybe the situation has been resolved before that," Hercules, ever the optimistic, proposed.

"It's good that one of us has the faith in things working out," Meg huffed a small laugh.

"I know they will, as long as we are together," Hercules told her, brushing her cheek lightly.

"Awww, my romantic hero," Meg teased him, before giving him a small kiss.

"Let's get going, Pegasus is already waiting for us," she then told him, taking his hand and starting to make her way towards the stables.

Yes, the grand cosmic consequences would have to wait: first, he would have to face his past.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As happy as Hercules was to meet his parents, he also felt… Anxious. His memories of his childhood home wasn't exactly the best. Alcemene and Amphitryon had prepared a warm welcome and a great meal to the young pair: they obviously liked Meg tremendously and wanted to make her feel welcome, which Hercules was grateful for. The conversation flowed quite easily, even if Hercules struggled to follow it.

After the meal, Alcemene suggested, that Meg and Hercules could take Pegasus and visit the agora.

"It was re-build after the… Incident," Amphitryon awkwardly finished. Suddenly Meg understood: she did remember Hercules mentioning this episode before in one of their conversations. Meg glanced at Hercules, who replied: "Are you sure you don't need a hand in the farm work? I could help…"

"Oh nonsense, son! You should show your girlfriend around, even if this isn't anything like Thebes," Amphitryon replied, scratching his neck awkwardly (a nervous habit Hercules had obviously picked up from his adoptive father, Meg deduced).

"It's nice to get away from Thebes every once in a while, there's too much of everything in there. Too much noise, too much people, and way too much traffic," Meg politely told him.

"Yes, I certainly agree with you! Go on, you young people should have your fun, " Amphitryon replied with a kind smile on his face, before heading the direction of his shed.

"We don't have to go the market, if you don't feel like it, you know?" Meg then told Hercules, looking at him compassionately.

"I know, but I have to face my past. If I don't go now, when would I do it? And I have you beside me, it makes things so much easier for me," Hercules told her gently, pulling her hand to his.

"Okay, let's do it then," Meg told him, giving him an encouraging smile.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It felt strange to be back at… He couldn't say that this place ever really was his home, but he did grow up here. And to be back at the agora, where the single most embarrassing moment (and he had had a plenty of those) of his life had taken place. It was… Painful. Meg took his hand to her own and gave him an encouraging squeeze. Meg surely knew more or less what was going on inside his head and Hercules was once again thankful for her support.

"So are we gonna do this or what?" Meg asked him.

"Yeah, I guess so. I'm not ever gonna be more ready than this," Hercules sighed as they entered the same market place where he had once wrecked so much havoc. Luckily they had rebuild the marketplace and he had learned to control his strength.

The people immediately recognized him: after all, he was nowadays known throughout the Greek world. The people who had once scorned at him now treated him like… Like a hero, like a _God_ , returning to his home. Hercules wanted to scoff at the idea. Everyone wanted to talk to him, pretending like they knew him.

It was a hot day and the agora was like a boiling pot with all the sand and marble. At one point, when the people simply wouldn't leave him be, Meg nudged his shoulder and told him that she would give poor Pegasus some water. He nodded, not looking forward to be left alone. He knew it was ridiculous, but just Meg's presence made it all easier to tolerate. Meg seemed to notice his uneasiness and she promised to be quick, giving his cheek a quick kiss.

The endless stream of people seemed to be finally coming to its end, but just then Hercules saw them: Thalos and his gang. His old bullies weren't gangly teenagers anymore, but they weren't as tall (and muscular) as him either.

"Hercules! Old pal, how are you? Good to see you again," Thalos greeted him over-enthusiastically. For a moment Hercules thought he had heard things, because they had never been friends of any sorts. Before he had even time to respond, Thalos started to bomb him with endless stream of questions. He wanted to know what it was like to be as famous as Hercules, if he had many fans, how many drakhmas he had earned in his hero business and if he had many women.

When Hercules thought he would finally lose it, Thalos and his friends lost their interest in him. They had a new point of interest: they had seen Meg.

"Holy Hera! Who is that? She's more beautiful than Aphrodite herself!" Thalos' jaw had dropped to the ground. Hercules knew that case to be a fact: Meg really was more beautiful than Aphrodite.

"She's a total babe!" Thalos' friend agreed.

"I'm gonna talk to her, you'll see she'll be like molten wax in my hands," Thalos pulled his hand through his hair and started to approach Meg.

"Hello sweetheart! Need someone to show you around?" Thalos greeted her with a slippery smile.

"Uh, not really. There's not a real chance to get lost in here, is there?" Meg looked cynically around the small marketplace.

"So, you're a clever one! I like that," Thalos made a show of laughing at her comment.

"Well, you obviously aren't: I already told you, your 'help' is not needed," Meg huffed, trying to get pass him but Thalos grapped her hand before she could get away.

"Why such a rush, sweetheart?" He smirked at her, but before Meg could answer, Thalos was pulled away.

"She already told you: do not touch her," Hercules growled at Thalos, who looked truly terrified as he tangled in Hercules' grip.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down big fella! I was just talking to her. Pretty girls like her always play hard to get, you understand?" Thalos babbled on.

"Pretty girls like her know what they mean: no means no," Hercules replied, feeling angrier by the second.

"How would you know that?" Thalos tried his best to squirm his way out of Hercules' iron grip, but his efforts were vain.

"Maybe he just knows more about women in general than you do?" Meg replied sarcastically. She had noticed that Hercules was really getting mad, so she placed her hand on his arm to calm him down. That seemed to work: Hercules came out of his reverie and dropped Thalos down.

"Oh I see how it works, sister: you go for the bigger fish, the great Hercules himself," Thalos huffed, still on the ground. Hercules felt his temper rising again: this guy really didn't know when to stop. Before he could do or say anything, Meg was on the top of the things. She placed her sandal-clad foot on the top of Thalos' hand with force which made Thalos howl with pain.

"Okay, so listen up boys. One: don't call me sister or sweetheart or any other nicknames. Two: I'm actually Hercules' girlfriend. For real. And three: Real men do not need to force women to do anything. Try remembering that the next time a girl tells you 'NO'," Meg told him, the undertone in her voice threatening.

As Meg turned around, Hercules pulled her to him. They were starting to leave as both them heard Thalos whining: "What is wrong with them? I think that bitch broke my hand!" Hercules' shoulders got stiff with anger: nobody had the right to call Meg by those kind of names. Meg placed a soothing hand on his bicep: "Don't. It's not worth it." Hercules sighed: he knew Meg was trying to bring some sense into him.

"I can see why growing up here wasn't exactly a dream come true: those guys were real jackasses. I bet that being different wasn't easiest thing to deal with around these people," Meg huffed as they continued to walk away from the agora, back to the place where Pegasus was waiting for them.

"Yeah, it wasn't. And those guys have always been jerks," Hercules sighed back.

"Well, now on they won't dare coming close to you: they probably think that your girlfriend is a fury or something!" Meg quipped. Hercules burst out laughing: it was just like Meg to see the humor in the situation.

"In that case you have to be the most beautiful fury there is," Hercules stopped walking and pulled Meg to himself. He kissed her deeply, not even caring if people (or those jerks) were watching them. Meg hummed against his mouth, enjoying their contact.

"My beautiful fury. I have to say, there was actually one thing that I agreed with Thalos," Hercules ran a finger on her cheek.

"Really? And that is?" Meg arched one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows in skepticism.

"He said that you have to be more beautiful than Aphrodite herself. I just know that to be true," Hercules replied with a smile. It was Meg's turn to laugh.

"Oh, you big lug, such a charmer!" She bumped her elbow to his arm and she continued giggling as they walked back to Pegasus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So finally an update! I've always wanted to see Hercules meeting his old bullies, am I the only one? I am, okay, I'll deal with that...
> 
> Fun fact: Megaera is actually the name of one of the Furies or also known as the Erinyes: I was kinda referring to that in the end.
> 
> So I struggled a bit with writing this chapter and was reminded of an important lesson: if you're struggling with things, you might be over-complicating things. That at least happened to me.
> 
> And yes, all these things happening so far are pretty much prelude to the story itself: this is gonna be one loooong fan fic.
> 
> So thanks and kudos for all my readers!


	6. Of Petty Gods and Mortal Matters

> "And it's breaking over me  
>  A thousand miles down to the sea bed  
>  I found the place to rest my head  
>  Never let me go, never let me go."
> 
> _Never Let Me Go_ by Florence + The Machine

On their way back to Thebes, Hercules and Meg stopped by Zeus' temple, just as Hercules had promised to Athena.

As Hercules approached the huge statue, Meg stayed back, feeling apprehensive. As Hercules called for his father, with a sudden lighting bolt, the statue turned into a living thing and Meg bolted back.

She wasn't sure when _(if ever)_ she would get used to these divine family meetings of her beloved.

"It's good to see you son!" Zeus joyfully exclaimed, tapping Hercules' head with one of his gigantic fingers. Then he turned his attention to her.

"Good to see you as well, Meg," he cheerfully told her and she weakly smiled back.

"Likewise, I'm sure," she replied, still not sure how she felt about the fact that the Lord of the Cosmos itself had just greeted her and called her by her nickname. And the fact that he was actually the birth-father of her boyfriend… Nope, she wouldn't even go there.

Somehow dealing with Hercules' adoptive parents seemed like a much more reasonable task.

"Father, there is reason why I called for you. I heard that you plan to restrain the authority of the Gods," Hercules began and already the face of Zeus turned sour.

"Now who told you that? Athena, huh? That tattler, I should have guessed… " he muttered, his irritated voice sounding surprisingly human.

"Father, are you sure this is the right course of action? Should you at least take some time to consider about it?" Hercules tried to propose, but his father already shook his head.

"I'm sorry son, but I have already made my mind. It is clear to me that the Gods aren't doing their job as well as they should. Complaining and fighting over minor things like a bunch of bicentennials! No, they need to be kept an eye on. They need an authority telling them what to do!" determined Zeus ended his rant.

"But father…" Hercules tried once again, but unfortunately his father dismissed him.

"Nevertheless, it was good seeing you. Both of you," Zeus focused momentarily his gaze on Meg once again before turning back into a stone statue.

Hercules sighed as his father was gone once again.

"So much for that card," she could hear the disappointment in his voice.

"I really do have a bad feeling about this. Didn't the takeover executed by the Olympian Gods start something like this? Back in the day, when Cronos and the Titans were still in power? Cronos tried to control all the other Titans, including his wife Rhea, and everybody got fed up with it?" Meg wondered aloud and Hercules rubbed his eyes wearily as he sighed.

"Yeah, well, Cronos did try to eat all his children. I guess that was the main factor which sped up things back then," Hercules reminded her, shaking his head.

"Good point. Good times, obviously," Meg responded in a sardonic manner. Then she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, you tried. Give it some time, and as you said before, maybe the Gods can settle this matter among themselves?" Meg offered with a gentle smile.

"Yeah, I hope you're right," he momentarily looked back at her, comforted by her presence and gave her a small grin.

"Come, let's head back home," he took her hand and they headed back outside where Pegasus was waiting for them, eating the fresh, green grass.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
After Meg and Hercules returned back, Hercules found himself _contemplating._

He had always admired Meg's quick wit and her ability to react quickly in any situation: after that incident on Arcadian agora, Hercules was even more impressed with those qualities of her. No matter what she faced _(what they had faced)_ she held her head up high and wasn't afraid to speak her mind. Even if he was fascinated by her beauty, it was her personality that he loved more than anything. Thinking of life without Meg in it seemed unbearable: he wanted to be with her, more than anything, he wanted to share his life with her.

He knew that he wanted to be with her more than anything. He knew that he wanted to ask her to marry him, but he wasn't quite sure how she would react: was she ready to take that step or would it be too soon to ask her to commit herself to him? He wasn't sure.

He had decided to wait for a while and enjoy what they already had in the meantime. And they did have a plenty to begin with.

That day, Hercules had returned to his villa after a hard day: he had been helping nearby farmers, because their crops had been nearly destroyed by a flood. Losing a crop would have meant a long winter without income and anything to eat for them. They were poor people, so they were overwhelmed with thankfulness for his help. They had been thanking him over and over again, with tears in their eyes. It was hard work, but helping people was what gave him joy. _(How did he ever even think about staying on mount Olympus and not being able help people the way he did? What had he been thinking?)_

It was already getting dark outside when he put Pegasus in his stable, gave him brushing and some oats to eat.

"Goodnight, boy," Hercules told his loyal steed as he scratched his head gently and Pegasus whinnied back.

Hercules then made his way to his villa: the torches were lit as Meg was already waiting for him. The knowledge that she was waiting for him brought him comfort: he had always found it so lonely to return to his empty villa after a long day.

He made his way in and as he entered, he quickly noticed the inviting smell coming from the kitchen. He followed the smell and found Meg there, humming to herself as she prepared the meal. Hercules loved just watching her petite figure, moving around in the kitchen. And he loved to her singing, even if she did most of the time without even noticing that she was doing it.

Hercules went to wrap his arms around her body from behind and traced a line a kisses on her neck. Meg sighed, not a least bit surprised. She turned around, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Welcome home," she told him, kissing him on his lips. He pulled her closer, sighing against her mouth. He had been only a day away, but he had already missed her so much.

"Thanks. I missed you, honey," he then confessed her, trailing her back with his hand.

"You do know that you were only gone for this afternoon and evening?" Meg playfully asked him, as she studied him with her eyes. _'No visible wounds or anything, thank goodness.'_

"I know, but I always miss you when I'm not with you," Hercules' honest answer melted her heart.

"I did miss you as well, you big lug," Meg wrapped her arms around him and he returned the hug eagerly.

"Where's Phil?" Hercules checked his surroundings, surprised not to see his old trainer.

"He made himself scarce, after noticing I was cooking. Something about some nymph. He obviously doesn't trust my cooking skills," Meg huffed, seeming amused.

"Oh, you haven't tried Phil's mom's cooking. Those are really… Something," Hercules replied, shaking his head.

"So, did you manage to save the day?" Meg asked him as she turned to stir the pot on the stove.

"I tried my best. The crops of the farmer were saved," Hercules replied her, drawing small circles in her back.

"That's my Wonderboy, always helping the people," Meg shot him a grin.

"Something smells amazing," Hercules then noted, hungry from the day's work.

"I knew you were hungry, so I made some meat stew. Go on, dig in," Meg replied and she didn't need to tell him twice.

The pair sat down to have dinner and Hercules was quite impressed: even if the stew was quite simple, it was very tasty and filling.

"This is really good, Meg. I didn't know you can cook," Hercules then complimented her, enjoying the meal Meg had prepared them.

"Well, I'm not really that good, but I'm glad if you like it. I've decided that I'll try to become a better cook," Meg told him, smiling almost timidly.

"I'll have to cook for you as well some time," Hercules replied, determined to return the favor.

"You can cook?" Meg always found new sides about her Wonderboy.

"Well, I make decent fish dishes. Queen Hippolyte's husband actually taught me how to cook," Herc told her, telling her the story about how he had entered the kingdom of Amazons and almost lost his life for it. And how he had learned to cook there as well.

"So, you had a thing for this Tempest, huh?" Meg gave him a knowing look.

"Well, I kinda liked her. She was tough and determined: in a way, she kinda reminds me of you. Not that she was as amazing as you are," Hercules told her sheepishly.

"So no reason for me to be jealous, huh?" Meg asked playfully.

"Meg, there's no one that has ever come even close to what you mean to me," Hercules placed his hand over hers across the table, giving her disarmingly sincere and honest look.

"Likewise, Wonderboy," Meg looked back at him, with a genuine smile on her face.

After they had finished the meal, they quickly cleaned the kitchen up together and moved to the atrium. They poured themselves some wine and moved to the divan, lounging there in each other's arms.

Hercules had his arms around Meg, who was pressed against his chest. He breathed in the scent of her hair, fully enjoying their closeness. Meg sighed, turning her head to face him and kissed him languidly. Hercules responded eagerly, tasting the wine and something he could only define as Meg in her kiss. He deepened the kiss and Meg quietly moaned against his mouth. When they pulled away, her breathing had quickened and her eyes were a bit blurry.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" Hercules asked her, running his fingers through her hair.

"I think your opinion might be a bit biased," Meg laughed breathlessly back at him.

"No, when I first saw you, I thought you were most beautiful woman I had ever seen and I've seen Aphrodite herself. Back then, I didn't know of course that you're as beautiful from the inside as you are from the outside," Hercules told her, playing with a lock of her hair absent-mindedly.

"Back then I thought you were just pretending, I thought that nobody with your looks could actually be as good and kind as you are. I'm glad I was wrong," Meg then confessed.

"I know that Hades' motives were what they were, but in a way, I'm grateful for what he did: if he hadn't stole me as a child, and if I hadn't gone through all what I did, I might have never met you," Hercules ran his fingers softly on her cheek and Meg closed her eyes, thinking about his words.

Yes, it was quite ironic that Hades had stole Hercules as a child in order to kill him and much later she had become his slave: both were negative things, but because of it, the two of them had met. _Oh the irony of life._

"So we owe it to Hades for setting us up? But I get what you mean: we went through some awful stuff, but nevertheless, I'm glad for the outcome," Meg replied, still caught up thinking about all the irony what Hades had done and where it had led them.

"I know. No matter why it happened, I'm so glad I met you," Hercules tilted Meg's head and pulled her in for another kiss.

He felt as if he was unable to express in words how much he loved her. He ran his hand through her hair, still trying to fathom how he had got so lucky that she actually returned his feelings in equal measure.

"Meg, will you marry me?" He blurted out, surprising even himself. He hadn't been planning to do this now, tonight, but somehow the words just escaped his lips and he was left waiting for Meg's reply.

For once, Meg was left speechless. The part of her which didn't want to trust people told her to tell him no, to turn around and run away, never to return. But that part of her was nowadays only a small nagging voice: her heart was telling her to do otherwise, that this man was all that she could ever ask for. She had never felt this loved, safe and cherished: how could she turn away from it, even if it scared a part her to death?

After a moment of silence, Hercules started to babble on nervously: "I know it's soon, and if you don't feel like it-"

"Yes," Meg quietly breathed out.

"Yes what?" Hercules wasn't sure if he had understood correctly.

"Yes, I will marry you!" Meg laughed out.

"You will? You will! Oh Meg, I'm so glad! I've been wanting to ask that for a while now, it just never seemed to be the perfect time…" He pulled her into his arms, embracing her excitedly.

"So now's the perfect time, after talking about all Hades has done to us?" Meg couldn't resist a little teasing, which made her Wonderboy blush.

"Well, all this reminiscing just made me think about how much I love you and that I want to be with you. Like forever," His honest reply made Meg's cynical heart melt.

"I love you too, Wonderboy. And yes, I'll become your wife," Meg told him gently before he pulled her in for another kiss.

No matter what they faced, those matters might be mortal or divine, Meg wanted to believe that they could face them. Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Whew, some teeth-rotting sweetness provided right there for you guys! So, I'm actually quite nervous about this whole engagement thing happening already: I wasn't gonna make it happen quite in this chapter, but on the other hand, it just felt right. And we're talking about the ancient times, so people weren't really "dating" like we do before getting married. I tried to transmit how Herc just kinda rushes into these things, but Meg feels more conflicted. So I really hope this makes sense!


	7. Chapter 7: Of Problematic Family Relations

> "You might not have been my first love
> 
> but you were the love that made
> 
> all the other loves irrelevant."
> 
> \- Rupi Kaur

The next morning, as Meg got up, Hercules was already chatting with Phil in the kitchen.

Wonderboy even more energetic than usually, happily babbling about some subject which was hard for Meg to grasp, especially since she had arrived in the middle of their conversation.

"What's up with the kid? He's like a hurricane of positivity this morning?" Phil addressed his question to Meg entering the room.

"Can't I be on good mood?" Hercules innocently asked and both Meg and Phil shared a knowing look.

"Fine, fine, I'll share the news with you. Last night, I asked Meg to marry me and she said yes!" Hercules happily exclaimed as he put his arm around Meg. Meg softly smiled at his enthusiasm. For a moment, almost a comical expression of surprise was left on Phil's face.

"You kids ain't wasting any time, are you? Well, considering you turned down an opportunity to become a part of the Pantheon for her, I guess any other turn of events would be strange. Congrats," Phil finally offered, slapping his student's leg.

"You too, sister," Phil then told her with a small smile. Meg smiled back, knowing that there wasn't luckily any bad blood between the two of them.

"I'm happy for you kids, I really am. Actually the timing couldn't be any more covenient: I was thinking of moving back to Idhra," Phil then shared his own news.

Meg squeezed Hercules' hand, the disappointment obvious on his face.

"Really? But… I thought…" Hercules stammered back, losing his ability to speak because of the surprise.

"What Wonderboy means is that are you sure? Have you thought this through?" Meg stepped in for him.

"Well, I'm a trainer of heroes and he obviously is one now. I mean, there's nothing more for me to teach for him. I can finally retire without any regrets as me and kid both were able to fulfill our dreams. Besides, you two need to start living your own life without an old grump like me hanging around," Phil jabbed.

"There's always room for one goatman," Meg smirked.

"But if that's what you wish to do, you should do it," she then offered.

"I can come visit here and you can come see me on Idhra. It's not like we won't never see again," Phil elaborated more gently, turning his attention back to Hercules, who had been uncharacteristically quiet since learning of his old trainer's plans.

"I know. It was just… A surprise," Hercules lamely replied.

"Kid, you're getting married: you know I ain't gonna stomach all that loveydovey stuff going around here! We'll still see each other," Phil patted his leg comfortingly.

"I know," Hercules then replied, with a small smile.

"Good. Now if you two will excuse me, I need to sort out some stuff. I mean, how much crap can one satyr gather in only one year or so?" Phil grumbled as he scurried to the direction of his room.

"Obviously more than enough," Meg replied, even though Phil obviously didn't hear her anymore.

"Are you gonna be okay with this?" Meg then asked of her fiancé, turning towards him.

"I… I guess," Hercules sighed. Meg felt bad for him: Phil had coached him for several years, and Phil not being there on a daily basis was a big change for Hercules.

"Hey, as Phil told you, you're still gonna see each other, yeah? Shouldn't we give Phil a proper farewell party tonight, we could go for dinner with Phil and celebrate our engagement at the same time?" Meg then offered and Hercules looked much more enthusiastic after her proposal.

"That's a great idea! I'm gonna tell Phil!" he gleamed, hurrying after his trainer. Meg stayed behind, lovingly shaking her head at her beloved.

And as agreed Hercules, Meg and Phil went for a dinner to the same restaurant where Hercules and Meg had visited during their first date. The meal was delicious and they had a good time: Meg politely decided to give more time for Hercules and his trainer to reminisce of their old adventures as Phil had decided to leave the very next morning. After the meal, Hercules suggested taking a walk, but Phil decided to head back to the villa to finish up his packing. He also pointed out that taking a romantic evening walk sounded suspiciously like something reserved only for lovebirds like Meg and Hercules.

So Hercules and Meg bid goodnight for Phil and the two of them went for a stroll to the same garden they had visited back at their first "date". Meg let out a small hum of amused as she realized they were almost re-creating their first date: luckily she didn't have to sit through another play made of her relative's tragic life.

Everything was lovely and wonderful and Wonderboy was as considerate as always, but Meg's mind was occupied with her past, with all the things she still hadn't shared with Hercules. It made Meg feel even worse for still hiding her past from him. From her fiancé, out of all things.

One of the reasons why she felt so hesitant was that she still hadn't leveled to her fiancé about her family history: she knew that Hercules was aware of that as well, but he didn't want to push her or make her talk before she herself felt ready. Meg was thankful for Hercules being always so kind and considerate. She knew she couldn't push the topic much longer though, she had already been avoiding it for far too long.

Hercules had also noticed that something was obviously on Meg's mind, but he didn't want to push it.

They were walking side by side their hands weaved together. How her small hands could fit his bigger ones so perfectly, he couldn't even fathom. It made him happy though, very happy: as if the Gods themselves had designed them for each other.

Meg's mind, however, was weighed down by her past and all the things she still hadn't told Hercules.

"Meg, honey, something on your mind? You have been pretty absent today," Hercules gently asked her.

"I'm sorry Wonderboy. This evening was wonderful, YOU were wonderful. I feel that I need to tell you about my past and I don't even know where to begin," Meg sighed. Truly, with her family history, where could she even begin with?

"Start wherever you want to, okay?" Hercules guided her to sit with him to fountain they almost had their first kiss on, if Phil and Pegasus hadn't intervened so convienently.

Meg sighed and decided to comply. _'Here goes nothing,'_ she thought to herself.

"It's about my family. I haven't told you about my family and how I ended up working for Hades," Meg then whispered to him, knitting her fingers nervously together. Hercules took her hands on his own, quietly stroking them, trying his best to comfort her.

"They say Gods themselves put a curse on the throne of Thebes. And so it really seems. Two of my brothers, Menoceus and Lycomedes, died during the uprising after king Oedipus had fled and his sons were fighting for the throne. Third one of my brothers, Andreus, was killed by the Sphinx and Haimon, eldest of my brothers, killed himself after my father had punished his fiancée. Her fiancée, Antigone, hanged herself and it was my brother who found her. He couldn't take it, so he killed himself after that. My mother, Eurydiche, had lost all her sons in a short period of time. She was so strucken by her grieve, so she decided to kill herself and succeeded in that," Meg told him with a trembling voice. Hercules already felt bad for her as well as for her family, but also mad: how could his Olympian family punish one family so harshly? Why would they put Meg and her family through all that?

"My father changed after the deaths of his sons and his wife. He had always been a stubborn man, but now he became obsessed with getting his daughters married to good allies. He isolated himself from me and my sisters, Henioche and Pyrrha. My grandmother was there, but she was occupied with my father. As I was the oldest of the daughters, I was left to take care of my younger sisters. I was barely a child myself and I had just lost my mother and my brothers: it was too much of a burden to me. My childhood home started to feel like a prison and all I could think of was getting out of there. As some years went by, my father was more and more obsessed with finding a suitable husband for me. I was scared that he would just marry me off to someone who would treat me as his property," Meg paused for a moment, struggling to continue. She felt Hercules' hand caressing her own and she somehow found the strength to continue.

I was stuck in this situation and I had been very lonely for many years when I met in one of the parties this man. He wasn't of any royal origin, just a son of one of my father's generals, he's name was Alesandro. I mistook his flattering words for love and I foolishly thought that meeting him would change my life. That I wouldn't have to feel so alone anymore. My father, of course, didn't approve of him and told me that if I wanted to be with him, I would have to leave my childhood home and never return. Arrogantly, I did so. I left and never went back. Not even long after that, Alesandro got sick, terminally ill, and in order to save him, I made this deal with Hades: he would cure my boyfriend's illness and have my soul instead. After the deal, I found out that Alesandro had already forgotten about me and found himself a new girl to toy with. Turns out he was initially interested in me because I was king Creon's eldest daughter and he had thought that by marrying me, he would get closer to the throne of Thebes. As I was scorn by my family and property of Hades, I was of no use to him. Quite some time after that, I met you," Meg quietly sighed.

She had never told these things to anybody. She had been so angry and ashamed: most of all, because of her own stupidity and naivety. _What was it with this garden that she always had to spill her guts here?_ On one hand, it felt good to get it out of her chest, but on the other hand, she couldn't help but wonder how Hercules would feel about her after all she had told him? How could he feel the same? After all, she had her share of bad decisions and mistakes.

Hercules had patiently waited for her to finish her story and then he wrapped his hand around her and pulled her close.

"I'm so sorry to hear all that, Meg. All those things you been through, along with your family. I understand that telling this can't be easy," Hercules quietly murmured.

Even through all her negative feelings Meg had to smile: why was she so worried about how he would react when he was always so understanding and forgiving? She closed her eyes, feeling better knowing that at least now she wasn't alone anymore, that she had someone who she could always count on. Then she realized she had forgot to tell probably the most important piece of information concerning her family to her fiancé.

"There's one more thing you need to know, Hercules. My father is king Creon of Thebes," Meg told him, already anticipating his reaction.

For a moment Hercules' mind was blank. Then he remembered all the tales he had heard about king Creon's life and the many tragedies he had faced. He had met the king himself quite a few times; he was a tall and handsome man, though age and many sorrows had left their mark on his face.

 _'So king Creon is Meg's father?'_ he wondered, amazed.

On the other hand, he couldn't feel too surprised to find this out about Meg: there had always been something in the way she carried herself, in her presence, in her confidence, the way she could express herself verbally that made her stand out from the rest of the people. Hercules than realized that Meg was still waiting for his reply, obviously anxious.

"So you are a…" Hercules begin, but Meg frantically shook her head: "Please don't say it."

"…Princess?" Hercules finished his sentence and Meg cringed.

"I've always hated that title. Please don't call me that," she pleaded.

"I won't. But does that mean when I first took you out for a date, to watch that play about Oedipus, it was actually about your family member?" Hercules winced as he realized the mistake he had unknowingly made.

"Um, yeah. Oedipus was my cousin. Well, to be exact my cousin and _my uncle_ at the same time. Queen Jocasta, his mother and later on his wife, was my aunt, as she was my father's sister," Meg replied, looking uneasy.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I had no idea…" Hercules winced as he realized the real reason why Meg had seemed so uneasy during that play. Well, that, and also the fact that she had been unwillingly worked for Hades back then.

"You didn't know. I was a little girl when all that happened, so I don't remember much of it. Lucky me," Meg scoffed.

"Well, that certainly is one problematic family history and I know all about them. But Meg, just so you know: this won't change a thing for my part. This doesn't change how I feel about you, Meg. You been through a lot, way too much if you ask me. We can't change our families and we can't change our pasts either. You always see me as the person I am, not as some hero or the son of Zeus, as other people do. You might be a princess by birthright or daughter of king Creon, but for me, you are Meg, the smartest and bravest person I've met. I love you for the person you are," Hercules than told her, drawing comforting circles on her back.

Meg threw herself to his embrace, relieved to know that his perspective on her hadn't change. And as he held her, the tears Meg had been suppressing for years now finally came. And he held her in his arms as she cried, quietly stroking her hair and occasionally pressing some kisses on the top of her head.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, the mount Olympus was in the state of disarray.

A lot of Gods were holding a secret meeting unbeknownst to Zeus: neither Hera nor Hermes had been invited to the meeting, as the Gods feared they would tell everything to the Lord of the Gods himself.

"This is obnoxious! Me, forced to ask a permission, when I want to start a war!" Ares exclaimed, hitting the table with his fist.

"What did that poor table ever do to you? Besides, dear brother of mine, some of us have real motives to intervene in mortal affairs," snickered Athena who, for some unfathomable reason, was seated beside her brother and worst enemy, Ares.

"Hah! And what would that be?" Ares crossed his hands, glaring at his sister.

"Like helping the humankind?" Athena pointed out and Ares rolled his eyes at her.

"Could you stop your bickering and concentrate on the matter? What are we going to do about this?" Apollo frowned at his two fellow Gods and tried to steer the conversation back to the real matter.

"Maybe we won't have to do anything," Hephastus quietly pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Apollo gave him a questioning look.

"Zeus cannot possibly handle all alone matters concerning both Olympus and Earth at the same time. Sooner or later, he will make a mistake," Hephastus continued, looking at other Gods who still tried to grasp his meaning.

"Zeus has made many mistakes, why would this time be any different?" Aphrodite, his fiancée, pulled her hand through her pretty blonde hair as she frowned.

"Darlin', we're talking 'bout mistake of cosmic consequences. Major cosmic consequences," Artemis, the huntress, drawled.

"Meaning what?" Poseidon shot a questioning look at Hephastus, but before he could answer, Apollo spoke again gravely: "Meaning, that when the Lord of Olympus isn't up to his task, we must choose a new one."

Poseidon rubbed his finned hands together, excited at the prospect, obviously already imagining himself as the new Lord of Olympus.

"That would be such a shame, really," Demeter, the Goddess of Harvest, sighed and shook her head in motherly fashion.

"Yes, indeed. But we must do what has to be done, if the situation comes to it," Apollo concluded and called an end to their meeting. The Gods separated to their own ways, eager to attend their personal affairs.

One of the deities had remained silent during the meeting and after it came to an end, she too had her personal affairs to attend: however, she took a direction unlike any other God. She was going to the Underworld, to see Hades himself.

Hades, who was still under the cosmic curfew his brother Zeus had put him under, didn't expect any visitors. Especially not her. Her skin was purple and her black hair whipped around her, almost like she had been caught in an invisible storm. Two living snakes were coiled around her wrists, moving relentlessly in her arms.

"Eris, babe! Long time no see! How's the world, you know, in literally anywhere else but here?" Hades didn't even bother trying to mask the bitterness in his voice as he greeted the arriving Goddess.

Making him prisoner of his own kingdom was truly a fitting punishment for his deeds. Hades would have found it almost clever in any other circumstances and would have enjoyed talking to any other God but his buffoon like older brother.

"Seems to revolve well enough without you," Eris pointed out, squinting the slits of her eyes even smaller as she studied was Hades had been doing when she arrived.

Hades had pulled his old strategy table out and he had been in the middle of planning the attack of his and Cybele's army of not-so-living soldiers when Eris had arrived on her unannounced visit.

"Hah, I was just practicing some tactics, want to keep the old fruit basket sharp," Hades quickly explained as he followed her gaze. Eris looked at him without saying anything, yet it was obvious enough that she didn't believe a word he was telling her.

"You do what you do, it matters not for me," she dismissed and her voice sounded so deprecating, that it alone almost made Hades loose his temper. But than she continued: "I bring news from mount Olympus. Something you might find interesting."

"I guessed your visit wasn't made out of courtesy. Go on then, spill the beans, babe," Hades circled around her.

"Zeus has restricted the powers of the Gods. This has made them… Angry. They are waiting for a something major to happen so they can choose a new God to become the new lord or the lady of Olympus," Eris carefully explained as she studied Hades, waiting for his reaction.

Hades could not contain his glee: he had waited eons for this to happen. For his _'oh so high and mighty'_ brother to fall from the grace face first! Ha, that would serve him right! He knew that he himself wasn't high on the ranking list when it came to the possible ruler candidates, but just seeing his brother's failure would be enough for him. _Weeell,_ almost enough for him: he could always work his way up. He was a patient God: he would find one way or another.

And talking about the major cosmic happenings… He smirked as he rubbed his fingers together.

"I might have just the thing up my sleeve," Hades' hair was burning red-hot because of his excitement.

"I had the feeling that you might say that," Eris looked completely unsurprised.

"Why would you come all the way here and tell me this? You got some beef with my brother?" Hades was starting to reconsider the reasons why Eris would so kindly provide all this information for him without wanting anything.

"Your brother doesn't really matter: for me, he is insignificant. He might rule, then again, so might someone else. You forget something essential here: I am the Goddess of chaos and strife. I feed on situations like these. I would flourish if something of this scale would happen," Eris smiled malevolently.

"Well, gotta keep the good looks up, I get that. Eris, babe, I owe you one: don't be a stranger," Hades smiled back at her in a similar manner before the Goddess took off.

Then he turned back to his table, planning to refine his plans. Oh yes, this would be _so much more fun_ than he had first thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, is it me or did just ton of things happen in this chapter? So Phil is leaving and Meg finally told Hercules about her past: how do we feel of all these things? And I hope the Olympian Gods won't seem too scheming: I just feel that this is how they would react in a situation like this (after all, they did turn their backs on Zeus in the episode _Hercules and Apollo Mission_ as well). And why is writing Hades always so much fun?
> 
> I try to maintain my routine of updating my stories once a month, but oh boy, work life has been hard lately. Next week, I'm going for a work-related trip and after that, I'm finally starting my summer vacation. Hope you all will have a fantastic summer and thanks for reading! Take care!


	8. Of Saying Goodbyes and Hellos

> "Heart, don't fail me now.  
>  Courage, don't desert me.  
>  Don't turn back now that we're here.  
>  People always say  
>  Life is full of choices.  
>  No one ever mentions fear!  
>  Or how the world can seem so vast  
>  On a journey to the past."
> 
> \- _Journey To The Past_ in Anastasia

The next morning, Meg, Hercules & Pegasus had went to escort Phil to the docks. Hercules had offered a ride with Pegasus to Phil's island, but as Phil pointed out, traveling by a ship was much easier with all his luggage. He had taken a cart-lift to the docks of Chalcis as Hercules and Meg had traveled there with Pegasus.

The cargo had already been loaded to the ship and by the frantic calling of the sailors, Meg could tell that the time to bid farewell was at hand. She stayed a bit back in order to give more space to Hercules and his old coach.

"Come here, kid," Phil motioned to Hercules, who knelt before his trainer and his friend.

"I'm gonna miss you, Phil," Hercules genuinely told him.

"Likewise, kid, likewise. Just don't go all sappy on me, okay?" Phil told him, his eyes suspiciously moist and shiny. Then he went to pat on Pegasus, who nudged him back with his snout.

"Okay, your turn missy, c´mere," Phil invited Meg closer with his hand.

Meg knelt down, hugging the goat-man.

"Just don't get him any trouble, okay, miss?" Phil patted her shoulder.

"Hey, you guys got yourselves in plenty of trouble even before I was around!" Meg objected.

"True, that we did," for a moment, Phil shared a smile and an eye-contact with Hercules.

"Don't make your fur turn grey because of worry, I'm sure Wonderboy and I can handle," Meg got up, glancing at her boyfriend who came to stand next to her, placing his arms around her.

"I'm counting more on you than him on that matter," Phil muttered and Hercules injected: "Hey!"

"You are talking about me, the girl who sold her soul to Hades?" Meg gave Phil an incredulous look.

"Good point. I guess that means I should worry, after all," Phil grunted with frustration.

"I was just kidding, just get going, we'll be fine!" Meg fondly shook her head.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going, princess," Phil snickered back at her.

Meg looked at Hercules who had suspiciously innocent look on his face.

"You told him? When did have time?" Meg asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Erm, this morning?" Hercules scratched his head sheepishly.

"He's never gonna forget that new nickname, won't he?" Meg sighed as they watched as Phil boarded the ship.

"Most likely not," Hercules agreed.

They watched silently as the ship started moving, Phil waving at them from the deck with his handkerchief. Hercules had his arms still wrapped around her and Meg placed her own has on his, trying to offer him some comfort.

"I'm gonna miss him," Hercules sighed.

"I know. I would have never believed that I would say this, but so will I," Meg replied to him.

After another moment of silence, Hercules timidly asked:

"So, have you thought about… You know… Going to meet your family?"

For a moment, Meg remained silent. Then she sighed.

"Yes, I have thought about it. For many times. I'm just not sure if I'm ready, if I'll ever be ready. We have our own issues and especially my father is a handful," Meg then told him.

"I know. It's just… That they're your family. I mean, if you're not sure if you'll ever feel any more ready, than shouldn't you… Just give it a try?" Hercules tried to reason with her.

Meg sighed again: she too had not so long ago shared a similar piece of advice with him. And he was right: waiting for the right moment wouldn't help in the end, it would just keep her procrastinating on what she would eventually had to face.

"I mean, I don't want to force you…" Hercules stammered, but Meg interrupted.

"No, you're right. Let's just go now, before I come into my senses and change my mind," Meg told him sternly, anxiousness already creeping up from the pit of her stomach.

"I'll be right here with you, hon," Hercules placed a kiss on her forehead.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
After giving it a lot of thought, Meg had decided that it was the time for her to finally face her family. Hercules, always encouraging her, had decided to come with her for a moral support. Without his presence, Meg wasn't sure if she would be able to pass the gates of the royal palace.

After a short ride on Pegasus (Meg felt as if it went by way too quickly, even if she still didn't enjoy the heights too much), they reached the royal palace. There were guards on the gates who immediately stopped them as they landed.

"Halt! Who wishes to enter the gates?" the guard seemed quite young, someone who hadn't been working there when Meg was still living in the palace.

"Stop it Perocles, don't you know who this is? It is her royal highness, princess Megara. It is so good to see you, Your Highness," the other guard bowed before her and even with the helmet on, Meg knew who it was.

"Pittheus, you don't need to kneel before me," Meg then told the giant for a man.

"Your Highness, the Gods are finally smiling upon us if they have returned you," the guard now removed his helmet and placed a kiss on her hand. Pittheus was feared for his size and gruesome appearance, but Meg knew he had a kind and loyal heart. Pittheus had always been looking after her when she was growing up and she knew the old warrior had a soft spot for her in his heart.

"It is good to see you too, Pittheus," Meg placed her hand on top of his.

"This is my fiancé, Hercules. We wish to see my father," Meg introduced her hero to the elderly guard, who obviously was measuring him with his eyes. Even Hercules was shorter than Pittheus, who was said to be a decedent of the great giants. After few agonizing moments, Pittheus nodded his head.

"I would normally say that nobody is good enough for our princess, but I have heard great deal of you, son of Zeus," he then acknowledged. Hercules sighed inwardly: somehow he had the feeling that he didn't want to be on the bad side of this man.

"His Highness the king is in the throne room, you may go there," Pittheus told them.

After entering the gates, Meg and Hercules arrived to the courtyard filled with greenery. Meg breathed in the air filled with scent of thyme and honeysuckle: even if she hadn't really missed living in the palace, she had missed the gardens and smelling this scent.

"It's beautiful in here," Hercules remarked, taking his surroundings in. He had visited the palace before, but he hadn't really paid attention to its details back then. Now that he knew that this was where Meg had grown up, he saw things in a different perspective.

"It is. I have missed the gardens. It's a shame that this place isn't open to public any more," Meg remarked as she studied the place. The area itself seemed rather quiet, only few people passing through the courtyard: most people would avoid moving around in the scorching hot mid-day sun, but as these people were obviously working for the palace, they didn't really have a choice.

"What happened?" Hercules asked, furrowing his brows.

"Well, during the days of king Oedipus, the courtyard and the gardens of the palace were open to the common people of Thebes. But after he died, there was unrest. An uprising, really, which lead to bloody battles. Two of my brothers were killed during those battles, as well as both sons of king Oedipus himself. That's how my father came to rule and he made the decision to close off all the areas of the palace from the common people 'for our protection', or so he said. Well, it felt more like a prison. Nowadays you get only access to the palace if you either belong to the court, work for the palace or you have to have direct business with the king himself," Meg recounted the facts, her eyes distant and sad.

"That sounds terribly lonely," Hercules frowned.

"Yeah, I couldn't agree more. Come on, let's move on," Meg pressed on, taking his hand to hers.

After passing the gardens, Meg and Hercules finally reached the palace and entered there. Nobody tried to stop them and Meg wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed: she wasn't still sure if she was ready to meet her father.

Meg lead them to the direction of the throne room, but quite a few times they were stopped by the servants of the royal palace who obviously recognized Meg. They were enthusiastic to greet their long-lost princess, overjoyed to see her once again. Their joyous faces and body-language told Hercules more than thousand words: whatever had happened between Meg and her family members, the servants of the royal palace still held her dear.

After trekking their way to the entrance of the throne room, Meg felt her courage faltering. Hercules took her hand on his own and squeezed it gently.

"I'm right here with you, okay?" He then told her gently.

"Okay," Meg replied and breathed in deeply before opening the doors.

The throne room was dimly lit, but Meg could still see how much her father had aged in these past few years. There was more gray then black in his hair now and his face was much more wrinkly than before.

The king rose his gaze at the two of them and was taken aback when he saw who had entered the throne room.

"Eurydice, my love, is it really you? Have you returned back to me?" the king descended from his throne and with a few hasty steps, he rushed to Meg, raising his trembling hand at her cheek.

"No father, it is me, Megara. Your daughter," Meg carefully explained after seeing how confused her father seemed.

"Oh. _Oh._ By Gods, Megara, is it really you? You've grown up, you look just so much like your mother, even more so than before," the king breathed out in shock as he scrutinized her.

"Yes father, it is me," Meg quietly told him. The king took his long-lost daughter in his arms. Meg fought back tears: how much had he aged since she had last seen him? She had thought she would never see her father again. After a moment, his father pulled back to inspect her.

"Oh Megara, you are all grown up. I can't believe how much you look like your mother. I have so many regrets about the last time we saw each other, my child," he quietly told her.

"Me too, father," Megara told him with a timid smile.

Now the king finally noticed that his daughter wasn't alone and he did recognize the young man.

"Ah, Hercules! So it is you who found my daughter! How can I repay you this?" the king then asked him.

"Oh, it's not quite like that, your Highness," Hercules replied nervously.

"No father, he didn't 'find' me. I decided to come here on my own, but he did encourage me. You see, he's my fiancé. We're engaged and we want to get married," Megara took Hercules' hand to her own, explaining the situation to her father.

"Engaged? Put you haven't got my permission!" the king seemed perplexed. Meg sighed: she had been fearing for something this.

"Father, I'm a big girl now and all grown up as you said yourself, I don't need a permission to get engaged," Meg told him sternly.

The king sighed, rubbing his temples with his fingers. Megara had just returned and already she was rebelling against him, once again.

"I know that you, Hercules, are a good man and the son of Zeus himself. But Megara here is my eldest daughter: she's the crown princess, so the future of my house is on her shoulders. I need her to marry an ally of mine, an heir or a king to another throne, to ensure the future generations and right alliances," king Creon started to explain, but Meg stopped him there, feeling her blood boiling.

"I'm not some piece of your personal collection you can sell to the highest bidder! We love each other and we WILL marry, with or without your consent!" Meg placed her hands on her hips, fuming.

"I see that you still don't know your place. We will discuss this later, right now I have a splitting headache and this discussion isn't doing me any good. I shall retire now, but we will talk about this later on, Megara," her father warned her before leaving the room, looking obviously worn out.

For a moment Megara felt bad that she had just met her father and already were they fighting each other. Before she could contemplate more on it, an elderly woman approached her from the corner of the room.

"Oh my love, my goodness how much have you grown! You're a woman now!" The elderly queen-mother who Hercules had previously encountered, hurried to Meg's side and closed her into an embrace.

"Grandma! I've missed you!" Meg's eyes were filled with tears as she hugged the woman tightly.

"I've missed you too, my love. So very much," the queen-mother whispered back, tears filling her eyes as well.

"I'm worried about father: he didn't recognize me. He thought I was mother, even though she passed away many years ago!" Meg confided to her grandmother.

"Your father's situation is worrisome, I agree. But we'll discuss about it later on. So, I see it is the strapping young Hercules who convinced you to return," Harmonia eyed the young hero, who felt more than a little uneasy because of her comment.

"I've heard that you two have already met," Meg also looked back to her fiancé with the mischief she shared with her grandmother in her eyes.

"It is a pleasure to meet again, your Highness…" Hercules begun, but the queen-mother shrugged it off.

"Oh nonsense, boy! As Megara's betrothed, you are basically part of the family now!" She told him and then nudged Meg: "He really is a sight for a sore eye! You did catch the most handsome man out there for yourself, didn't you?" Hercules felt the hotness spreading on his cheeks: he was not sure how he was supposed to take in the fact that Meg's grandmother _(the queen-mother)_ was complimenting his looks?

"Oh stop it, grandma! You're making him blush!" Meg laughed back.

"Alright, alright dear, if you say so. So you're wishing to marry my granddaughter?" Harmonia's gaze seemed to pierce right through him. He had nothing to hide so he let her evaluate him.

"Yes, madam," he solemnly replied.

Harmonia seemed to come in to some sort of conclusion as she nodded to herself.

"Meg, dear, would you mind going to find your sisters? They'll be in the gardens. There's some things I wish to discuss with your fiancé here," Harmonia told Meg, who knew that it was an order and not just a request. She gave Hercules' hand a comforting squeeze before she left the two of them alone.

Harmonia's gaze stayed fixed upon Meg's receding form as she confided to Hercules: "I probably shouldn't say this, but Megara has always been my favorite from all of my grandchildren." She sighed softly.

"What was she like when she was growing up?" Hercules asked, wishing to know more about the woman he loved.

"Stubborn, the most stubborn child I have ever seen," Harmonia replied and they both laughed: that was still her most typical character trait.

"I can imagine that," Hercules chuckled.

"I have often thought that Meg would have been happier if she was born as a man: she never wanted to be a princess and a wallflower. She was always dreaming of a life away from the palace and going for adventures. The palace life was like a curse to her, it was her golden cage," Harmonia sighed.

"I can only imagine," Hercules mumbled, trying to picture the past of his beloved. Harmonia nodded solemnly.

"She and her father were constantly fighting: he couldn't stand her rebelling attitude. She on the other hand couldn't stand the thought that he would decide what her fate should be. Especially since Megara's brothers passed away and her mother killed herself, the things got out of hand. Meg had too much pressure as she was expected to look after her sisters. She herself was the one who found her dead mother's body. A terrible sight it was. Poor Megara, I will never forget the way she cried when they took her away from her mother's body. Besides all that, after her brother's passing, the continuation of our royal house was placed upon Meg's shoulders. Creon was obsessed on getting her married to a good house. Meg didn't want to be part of that, she didn't want to be a pawn in their game of power, but Creon had decided to marry her off. All those candidates were much older than Meg, some were even older than king Creon himself," Harmonia sighed again as she continued with her story. Hercules felt a chill in his spine: even though Meg had told him of her past, he had no idea that things had really been that bad.

"That's… Horrible," he quietly commented.

"Yes, yes it was," Harmonia shook her head.

"That's why she eventually ran away, and I thought I would never see her again. I am so happy to see my grand-daugther again. Thank you for bringing her back," Harmonia's eyes were filled of tears and Hercules' took her hand to his own.

"It was her own decision to make, coming back here. Of course, I'm happy that Meg got to meet you again. And I'm happy to meet you again as well," Hercules told her kindly.

"You are a good man and I know that you will make my dear Meg very happy. I'm sure that my son Creon will find that out eventually as well," Harmonia told him and he could only wish that she would be right.

"Come, let's go to see Meg and her sisters," Harmonia then instructed, making her way to the gardens and Hercules followed her.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Meg trekked down the path in the gardens, she knew exactly where she would find her sisters: in the shade of the apple trees, it had been their favorite spot while growing up.

As she reached her destination, she found Henioche reading a scroll aloud to her younger sister and Pyrrha was practicing her needlework: deducting from her distressed face, Pyrrha did not enjoy the task in her hand. They both raised their gaze as they heard her footsteps and the awestruck looks on their faces would have been funny, if Meg hadn't been feeling so touched herself to finally see her sisters again.

"Megara? Is it really you?" Henioche rose to meet her.

"Yes, it is really me, sister," Meg replied, moving to embrace her sister.

Her sister embraced her back fiercely.

"Oh how I've missed you," she then told her.

"I've missed you too," Meg replied, embracing her back.

After pulling away, Henioche inspected her looks and furrowed her pretty brows: "You look like a peasant in those clothes."

"That's a nice thing to say to your sister after seeing her first time in years!" Meg laughed back.

Then both of them turned to look at Pyrrha, waiting for her reaction.

"So you're back now, huh?" Pyrrha, the youngest of the sisters, simply asked.

"Yes I am," Meg gently told her, reaching towards her youngest sister with her hand.

"Why now? You abandoned us for years and now you think you can just return and everything is somehow okay because of that?" There were tears in Pyrrha's eyes and she was obviously mad at her older sister.

"Pyrrha, I'm really sorry, I…" Meg started, but her sister furiously shook her head.

"Don't. Just don't," she choked out, before turning away and running to the direction of the palace.

"Give Pyrrha some time, it was really hard for her when you left," Henioche gently placed a comforting hand to her sister's shoulders. Meg sighed and nodded.

At this point, Hercules and queen-mother Harmonia had found their way to the sisters as well.

"Henioche, I want you meet my fiancé, Hercules," Meg was glad to see her beloved there (and her grandmother hadn't obviously been too hard on him, as he still seemed to be in one piece) and pulled him to her side. Henioche's eyes widened in surprise.

"That Hercules, as if _the great hero Hercules_?" Henioche made sure, eyeing the man before her as if she could not believe her own eyes.

"Yes Henioche, THAT Hercules," Meg rolled her eyes to her sister.

"OH MY GODS," was all Henioche managed to get out before she placed her hands to her face, trying to contain her own excitement.

"Seems like my sister is one of your fans," Meg stated driely and Hercules felt a blush creeping on his neck.

"It is good to meet you, princess Henioche," Hercules gently told her. The princess had a black curly hair and blue eyes, and she was pale, yet strongly built. Even though she and Meg had some resemblance between them, she had obviously taken more after their father.

Henioche silently nodded, still not believing that her idol was standing before her. Harmonia shook her head and placed her hands on Henioche's shoulders.

"All right dear, don't you have some history lessons you need to learn? I know there's still at least one place Megara wants to visit," Harmonia gently smiled at her eldest grand-daugther.

Meg solemnly nodded: she needed to visit the catacombs and the graves of her mother and brothers.  
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Meg and Hercules had descended down to the royal catacombs and air there was stale, yet a lot cooler than it was outside in the sun. They had passed before each of Meg's brother's graves: Menoceus, Lycomedes, Andreus and Haimon.

Now, they had finally reached the grave of Meg's mother, Eurydice. There was a statue of her graved in the stone and just by judging the statue, Hercules could tell that Meg had most taken after her mother in her looks. Queen Eurydice had been a beautiful woman, looking much like Meg.

Meg was on her knees and her shoulders were trembling. It was obvious that she was crying. After all, it had been a hard day for her. Hercules felt bad for her, facing it all during that one day. Also he felt more than a little guilty: after all, coming to the palace had been his suggestion.

Hercules knelt down next to her, taking her in his arms. Meg kept crying against his chest and he gently stroked her back. Lately, Meg had been crying far too much for her own taste, but on the other hand, meeting her past had been every bit as painful as she had feared. But it needed to be done, if she wished to move forward.

"She hates me, you know?" Meg quietly told Hercules.

"Who does?" Hercules gently asked, still gently stroking her back.

"My youngest sister, Pyrrha. You didn't even meet her, because she ran away from me," Meg sighed sadly.

Harmonia had told Hercules that Henioche was quite mature for a sixteen-year-old girl (well, _mostly_ ), but Pyrrha on the other hand was moody and introverted. Though she was younger, only fourteen, but she had mostly closed herself up after Meg had left the palace. Harmonia had also confided to him what had happen to Meg's brothers: how two of them were killed in the battles which took place after the death of king Oedipus, how the sphinx had killed one of them and how the eldest, Haemon, had killed himself after the death of his fiancée Antigone. Their family history was grim: Hercules didn't wonder at all why returning back to palace had been so hard for Meg.

"Give her time. This is a big change for her as well. You are still sisters and she'll come around eventually, okay honey?" Hercules placed a kiss on the top of his fiancée's head.

They still had a lot to work out, as it seemed that king Creon would not come around easily either. It seemed like stubbornness was one of the character traits that was most common in Meg's family. But still, he had faith that they could sort it out somehow. He had found then woman he loved and cherished, and if he wouldn't let even the death tear them apart, dealing with her family would be the easy part.

Or so he hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was way too long for one chapter, but I wanted to include all that. So there we go, then. That was pretty emotional, wasn't it? 
> 
> Thanks for reading and leaving kudos, both of those keep me going!


	9. Nightly Visitors and Fears

> "I should welcome yesterday and leave the ache and pain away, you say  
> This life give me many tears, and now my dreams are full of fears."
> 
> \- _Memories Fall_ by Dark Sarah

When they finally made their way back home, Meg almost tripped while entering the front-door because of her exhaustion. Hercules, her vigilant hero, was luckily there to catch her as always.

"Oops, careful honey," he gently told her as he helped her back at her feet.

"Sorry, I should look where I'm going, I'm just so… Tired," she tried her best to fight back her yawn.

"You should go lay down, hon," Hercules gently took her in his arms and carried her all the way to their bedroom. He gently placed her in the bed, removing her sandals and tucking her under the bed-sheets. He placed a kiss on her forehead and whispered to her: "Try to get some sleep, you've had a hard day. I'll join you in a bit, okay honey?"

"Okay," she muttered back before drifting into sleep. Hercules smiled to himself, studying her sleeping form for a moment. 'By Gods, how can anyone be as beautiful as she is?' His hand lingered on her cheek as he pondered on that question once more. Then he headed to the hallway, deciding to make some tea for himself before heading to sleep.  
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In her sleep, Meg was wandering in the halls of her childhood home. The palace was dark and empty and she felt as if there was something lurking in the shadows, following her every step. As she started to run, whatever was following her, started speeding up as well, following her trail. She saw tendrils of black smoke and gasped -

As Meg woke up, her heart was racing and her breathing was shallow. As she looked around the dark room, she saw yellow eyes flickering in the corner of dark room.

"Hades," she breathed out, not even surprised to find him there.

"Surprised, babe?" he leered at her.

"Not really, even if watching me sleep is a new low even for you," Meg replied, feeling already agitated. What in the name of Tartarus was he doing here?

"Sorry to disturb your beauty sleep, my sweetest Nutmeg. Just checking up on you," he replied, moving closer to her.

Meg felt the dread spreading all over her as she smelt the all too familiar scent of sulfur surrounding him. What was he doing?

Before she had a chance to do anything, Hades was pulled away from her. Even if Hades was taller than Hercules, Meg was impressed as he was more than capable of lifting Hades up so the deity was left tangling from Herc's iron grip.

"What do you want, Hades?!" He demanded, irked to see the Lord of the Dead still at the tail of his girlfriend.

"Oi, let me down you ox of a man! Shouldn't you be holding your girlfriend instead?" Hercules let him fall down, moving closer to Meg, taking her into his arms.

As Hades was arranging his chiton, he was eyeing the two of them, tangled in each others arms.

"Really Meg, Jerkules, out of all the man out there," he arched his eyebrow at her.

"Yes Hades, really. As a matter, we're engaged to get married," Meg replied him with a defiant look.

"Is that so? So you're happy ending is paving out well? Just remember, Meg my sweet: only heroes get their happy endings, and you my dear, you're not a hero: you're a villain. Just like me," he smiled wickedly, shoving his pointy, yellowed teeth. Meg felt the dread once again seeping in and she instantly pulled closer to Hercules, who wrapped his arm tighter around her.

"With your history, a disaster is just waiting to happen. So enjoy this while it lasts," Hades once again smirked at them and before Hercules could do anything, he had disappeared, leaving behind only a burnt mark where he had been standing.

"Damn him," Hercules muttered to himself, pulling Meg even closer to himself.

"Well, as he is the current lord of the Underworld, I think it's safe to say his already as damned as one can be," Meg wearily replied back.

"You okay, honey?" He then asked her, studying her appearance with a worried eye.

"I'm alright, nothing new there. I got little freaked out to find out that Hades enjoys watching me sleep," Meg got chills just thinking about it. How long had he been back? Did he watch her other times as well (Meg did not want to dwell in those details)?

"Hades is a creep. And obviously a sore loser. What he said about you Meg, it's not true. You are a hero and you deserve to be happy," Hercules told her, running his hand in her hair. She tried to smile back at him, even though the thought would not leave her head: What did Hades want? He obviously had something in his mind, but what was it exactly?  
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Even though her tiredness, the sleep had evaded Meg mostly for the rest of the night. Judging from how he was tossing around, Hercules himself had hard time getting some sleep as well, even if he normally fell asleep like a log the moment his head hit the pillow.

At the crack of the dawn, Meg got up and made some tea for herself. She went outside, sitting on the bench facing the sea and watching the sun rising from the east. At least Apollo was up besides herself. And apparently Hercules as well was already up as he made his way to her, placing a blanket on her shoulders. It was still chilly outside, Meg was grateful for the warmth. As he sat next to her, she leaned against him, closing her eyes.

"Trouble sleeping last night?" Hercules more stated than asked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I kept you awake as well," Meg replied, feeling slightly guilty.

"At least now I can enjoy the sunrise with my favorite person in the world," he gently told her and gently placed a kiss on the top of her head. For some reason, Meg felt tears invading her eyes. After the day before and the evening following that day, Meg had been awake most for the mind with her own negative thoughts to keep her company. The positive outlook Hercules had in life never seized to amaze Meg.

"Oh Wonderboy, you're way too kind. That is one of the things I love the most about you," Meg then told him, still leaning against him with her teary eyes closed.

"Yeah? What are those other things, then?" Hercules smiled timidly, wrapping his arm around her waist. Sometimes he still had hard time understanding why Meg wanted to be with him. Sometimes all he could see were his own faults, so why would she choose to be with someone like him?

"Well, you're also kind and you never give up. I do like all this hero stuff, but it is your personality that I love. That you choose to see the best in people, and that even in tough situations you never back down," Meg told him, a soft smile on her lips. Hercules smiled back at her: "Really? Y-you think so?"

"I know so. Plus you are a sight to a sore eye, to say the least," Meg teased him and he felt the familiar blush creeping up his neck.

"And you are the smartest, bravest and the prettiest girl I've ever met," Hercules suddenly replied with pure adoration in his eyes. Meg felt own cheeks getting flushed and she moved closer until their lips found each other for a long, languid kiss.

After the kiss, Meg felt her head swimming. She wasn't sure if it was the kiss, the deprivation of the sleep or something completely else, but she felt ready to go back to their bed. And eventually, they did get some sleep as well.  
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After an emotionally tolling day followed by a poorly slept night, the young couple decided to take the day easy and they lounged around the villa, doing nothing particular, which turned out to be just perfect.

When the night-time fell once again, Hercules found himself pondering once again over the fact that Hades was still causing trouble not only to himself, but more so to the woman he loved. During the day, he had Meg's presence to keep him occupied, so these thoughts hadn't bothered him as much. As he tried to settle down to sleep, he wasn't as lucky. All those thoughts came bouncing back at him. For few moments, he tried his best to find a good position, but it was to no avail. He sighed as he got up.

Luckily Meg was able to get some sleep that night. By the looks of it, she had really needed it. Meeting her family and facing her past had been hard for her: however Hercules was very much proud that she had done it, nonetheless. He studied her sleeping form, with tender smile lingering on his smile.

"She's sight for a sore eye, isn't she?" a masculine voice just next to him commented.

His instincts kicked in and before he even knew it, Hercules had gripped his sword placed beside the bed.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy, sport! You could hit somebody with that thing!" The sudden intruder, who turned out to be another of his divine relatives, Ares to be exact, scolded him.

"Well, that was pretty much the idea there," Hercules muttered to himself, still jumpy from Hades appearing in his bedroom. As if that wasn't enough, now he had Ares standing there. Was this some sort usual visiting hour and place of the Gods and he himself just didn't know about it?

"Hmm, I've got to say that I do envy you, sport. I wouldn't mind laying next to her myself every night," Ares once again turned his attention to sleeping form of Meg, his eyes lingering on the curve of her waist and the rounding of her hips, only covered by the thin bed-sheet and on her bare skin, not covered by the sheet.

"I'm… Not sure what to say to that about that," Hercules frowned: he really didn't like anyone, not even the Gods themselves, making such comments concerning Meg.

"I heard that your decision of staying with her on Earth were received with some… Mixed feelings. Some admire it, some wonder whether you have lost your mind or not," Ares commented in a laid-back manner, ignoring Hercules' previous comment.

"Are we talking about Gods or mortals here?" Hercules asked, still uneasy of the attention his divine relatives were giving to his sleeping fiancée.

"Well, both, to be honest. But I myself completely understand you: between the two of us, her beauty defeats even Aphrodite herself. So I completely understand that you couldn't let the opportunity pass," Ares whispered to him, looking around himself as if to make sure that the jealous love goddess wasn't hiding anywhere in the room (at his point, Hercules wouldn't have been even surprised if Aphrodite would have popped out from some nook or cranny).

"Is there a real reason why you decided to pay me a visit past midnight or did you just want to compliment on Meg's looks?" Hercules was getting tired of this conversation: it wasn't doing him any good, if he wanted get any sleep at all during that night.

"Oh. Oh, right! There was. As you probably have heard, your dad Zeus has prohibited us deities from interfering with mortals' affairs," Ares shot an accusing look towards Hercules, who winced, not liking where this was going.

"So, because of that, I've got a problem: my Spartan army needs an inspection and as the matters are what they are, I cannot do that myself," Ares explained.

"But… How are you here then? If you cannot interfere with mortals?" Hercules was taken aback.

"Weell, there's an error in the fine print. Let's just say that we cannot visit fully mortals: demigods such as yourself make an exception. If meeting even the demigods would be forbidden, the old man himself would have hard time seeing you, wouldn't he?" Ares crossed his arms on his broad chest, triumphant smile on his face.

Hercules' mind was trying it's best to fill in the blanks: was that the reason why Hades had been able to visit his home last night? On the other hand, Hades didn't usually follow the same rules placed for the other Gods. And what would it mean if all the Gods were not allowed to see the mortals, but they were still able to summon his help whenever wanted? The thought only made his head ache.

"So I made a petition to Zeus that I would be allowed to attend the matters concerning my army, but all the other Gods have made their own requests and petitions as well. So your old man is buried in those requests and the processing line is gigantic, so to speak: I have no hope of getting my petition getting processed in time," Ares carried on and Hercules felt a twinge of worry: even though his father was lord of the Gods, was he able to handle all that work by himself?

"So you need someone to do the inspection for you?" Hercules concluded.

"Yes, exactly! Would you mind then, sport?" Ares nodded eagerly.

"I'll go to Sparta, first thing in the morning," Hercules promised with a sigh.

"Perfect! I know you're already acquainted with my army," Ares smiled in a reassuring manner. Hercules wanted to cringe: he wasn't still sure if he wanted to revisit his memories concerning the Spartan army.

"Thanks, sport! Nighty night!" Ares exclaimed before he disappeared.

"What was all that ruckus?" Meg, her eyes still heavy with sleep, had stirred a little and raised her head to look towards her fiancé.

"Nothing hon, just go back to sleep. I'll explain it in the morning," Hercules murmured as he headed back to the bed, wrapping his arms around her. Somehow he knew that Meg would lose rest of her sleep if he told her that their bedroom had been once again invaded by a God, even if it wasn't Hades himself this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, and sorry for the wait, life has been giving me some lemons and I still haven't figure out what to do with them... Anyways, the new chapter is up! Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, cheers!


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